Foster Everlasting
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: On her seventeenth birthday, Winnie decides to change her life forever. But the path she thinks will be rose-covered is paved with loneliness, heartache, and blood. Will Winnie ever find her dreamt-of happiness? Alternate Ending Up! Finished!
1. Chapter One: Seventeenth Birthdays

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hello! Please enjoy Chapter One!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting. If I did, I would make sure that they would say, "Winnie didn't die and she and Jesse lived happily ever after." Or something like that. :)**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER ONE: SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAYS**

Winifred Foster, commonly known as Winnie, calmly walked out of her home. Once she was out of her parents' sight, she ran for the spring in the woods. She took out her piece of paper and pen and began writing.

**Reasons I Should Drink from the Spring**

**I will live forever**

**I can see Jesse**

**I won't be forced to marry against my wishes**

**I will be free to do what I want, when I want to do it**

**I will be able to travel the world.**

After she wrote this, she created a separate list.

**Reasons I Should Not Drink from the Spring**

**1. Everyone around me will die**

**2. I won't be able to stay with my family**

**3. I won't be able to see my friends.**

**Jesse might forget his promise and find someone else**

**There will be no turning back if I do drink the water**

Not being able to think of any other reasons, Winnie groaned. "This is perfect. I thought writing a list would help me decide!"

Ever since the Tucks left, she always wondered whether she should drink the magical water or not. It was not an easy decision. She thought about what Tuck said so long ago, and would decide not to go through with it. Winnie would then think that she should do it, in order to see Jesse. When she was ten, she didn't really love him, just as a friend and a big brother. But when she turned fifteen, she started thinking about him more and more, and a blush would grace her face when she would. She realized she did love him, but still wasn't sure that she should drink the heavenly water.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Winnie asked herself. She thought about how much she would miss her parents, but she loved Jesse so much, and the Tucks may have been closer to her than her own family. She couldn't think about how lonely they are without anyone with them forever. She took a deep breath and drank the mystical water.

It was just as the Tucks described. It tasted heavenly, and she could almost feel herself become free of death. Frightened at the life-altering deed she had just performed, yet excited about seeing the Tucks again, she ran as fast as she could home.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Short, but it will get better, hopefully! Please review ASAP!  
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	2. Chapter Two: Magic

**Prettyinpinkgal: Chapter Two's finally up! Woot! I'm sorry it took a while, as it is with all my stories, with school starting and all…. Anyway, please enjoy! By the way, I'm really sorry if the grandmother had died in the book, it's been a while since I've read it, and I can't remember if she passed away or not. But in this fic, she is alive.**

**Thanks to:**

**Julia: Thanks!**

**Angry Girl: I'm glad you do! I can't wait to write that scene, when the two girls meet. That'll be interesting :). I always would get so mad when I'd read the ending of the book again or watch the movie. She'd have a much better life with the Tucks, and I'm sure that the dude she married wasn't out of love. **

**Strawberry-Shortcake01: Thanks! Yeah, I don't like those either. You just can't replace Winnie!**

**Neva: Thank you!**

**Lilcutie Angel: Thank you for your review!**

**Franny: Thanks! Tuck Everlasting is probably one of the best novels out there, in my opinion :)**

**Jewelspiritmon: Thank you very much!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting. If I did, I would make sure that they would say, "Winnie didn't die and she and Jesse lived happily ever after." Or something like that. :)**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER TWO: MAGIC**

"WINIFRED!" Winnie winced as she heard the cry. She was working on her sewing, uncomplaining for once, (she wanted to enjoy her life as it was before she had to leave her family) and walked to the steps.

"Yes, Grandmother?" she asked.

"Please come down, and make sure you look decent!" her grandmother called.

Wondering what it could be, she straightened the wrinkles on her dress, and headed downstairs. She had heard the door open before she made it down to the bottom step. A man's voice was heard, and suddenly she had a very sickening feeling.

She walked into the sitting room where her father, mother, grandmother, and the man were sitting. The man had jet-black hair, and appeared to be in his mid-twenties. 'Please, no,' she thought. Even though it would never pull through, if she was right about what this was about, it would still be incredibly uncomfortable. Unfortunately, her suspicions soon proved correct.

"Ah, Winifred, you're here. This is James Kendal. His father is a dear friend of mine." Her father sent her a "Don't Do Anything That Will Embarrass Me" look.

Winnie did a slight curtsy, to be polite. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kendal."

"Please, call me James, Miss Foster." He was dashing, and when he grinned at her, it was the type of smile that would make any girl faint.

Any girl, that is, except for Winnie Foster.

"Of course. And you may call me Winnie."

Her mother started. "Winnie is such a silly name though, dear," she said quickly, feeling that such a name as Winnie was something a commoner would be named, and wanted to make sure that her proper name, Winifred, was used constantly.

"Very well, Winnie," James said, as if Winnie's mother had not spoken. Winnie beamed in her mind. This fellow wasn't too bad.

With a slight sigh, Winnie's grandmother spoke. "Winifred, this young man is of a fine family, and is very wealthy. It would be a fine match, you and Mr. Kendal here."

'Drat it all! So that IS what this is about!' Winnie, not about to show her true feelings, kept her mask on. "I'm dreadfully sorry, James, but I do not wish to wed you."

Her father glared. "Don't be ridiculous, Winifred! You WILL marry him!"

Winnie turned to look at him. "I apologize, Father, but I will NOT marry him. I am sorry, James, and the woman who does marry you will be very lucky indeed, but I am not that woman. I don't love you, or even know you, hardly."

"I'm sorry, but could you please come and visit another day? I am sure that Winifred will have a new look on this proposal by then," the elderly woman said.

Once James was out the door, Winnie said, "I won't marry him. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't. First of all, I love Jesse Tuck. Secondly, I barely know James. And thirdly, I probably won't be here at the time of the wedding!" Winnie stormed up the stairs and slowly climbed onto her bed, her thoughts racing.

'Did I do the right thing, drinking the water?'

'What if I can't find Jesse?'

'Will he still love me?'

Winnie looked out of the window, and onto the street. To her surprise, she saw a toad there. 'That's my toad…' she thought. She hadn't seen it since she was ten, but she knew instantaneously that that was her dear, cherished pet. Looking at it, immune to any dangers the world had to offer, gave her hope and courage. That little toad was bravely out there, so why should she be so scared?

"I _can_ do this." She slowly smiled. "I can do this!"

She decided that when the time comes, she'll live in the Tucks' old house in the woods. When the Tucks come back, they'll definitely have a homecoming!

* * *

The time soon came, as weeks turned into months. Her family grew suspicious that the seventeen-year-old hadn't grown at all since her birthday. Eventually, her grandmother passed away. They all grieved, and it gave Winnie an eerie feeling. She'll never move on. She will always be Winnie, the girl who will never grow old. The girl who will never die. 

Eventually, her parents confronted her. "Winifred, why won't you grow?" they cried.

Soon after, Winnie left. She brought her most cherished belongings and clothes and left a note behind. This is what it read:

_**Dear Mother and Father,**_

_**I am so sorry I have to do this to you, but I have no choice. I must go. I love you both so much. Please understand.**_

_**I wish I could say we will meet again, but I'm afraid that's a lie. But always know that I love you both dearly.**_

_**Your daughter,**_

_**Winnie**_


	3. Chapter Three: His and Her Circumstances

**Prettyinpinkgal: (swims in huge pile of reviews) Thank you soo much everybody for your reviews! They mean so much to me :) I'm glad you guys all like the story so far and that you guys are so nice! I'm sorry about my short chapters and the tense errors. I'm lame that way lol. Gomen nasai! Anyway, disclaimers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". Neither the book nor the movie. So I don't think I should do autographs for things I wasn't a part of lol.**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER THREE: HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES**

Jesse Tuck wandered through the streets of Russia. It'd been four years since he had last seen Winnie. She was such a perky kid, with some spunk. He wondered what she'd be like when she turned seventeen. Would she be the same? Or would her rich parents sculpt her into a "perfect" woman, one that would hardly have a thought of her own and would do whatever she was told?

'No, not Winnie. Winnie wouldn't end up being so boring. She's too rebellious to end up like that,' Jesse thought, shaking the previous thought from his head. He smiled at the memory of when they first met. She had been running away from home. If _that_ doesn't say rebellion, nothing does. That was just one of the things he loved about her.

Not saying he was in love with a ten-year-old. That would be even weirder than living forever! He was teasing when he told her to drink it so that they could get married, but as time passed, he began to wonder what she was like as she grew up. He was in love with the older Winnie Foster; he was sure she was like she was in her younger years but taller and prettier. A blush would always burn his cheeks when he thought of her as "pretty". He used to tease Miles when he would rave about his wife when he was courting her, but now he knew what it was like to fall in love.

Jesse kicked a pebble in his way. He recalled the discussion he had with his father shortly after they left Treegap…

_FLASHBACK_

"_Jesse, I think we have to talk," Tuck said, calling his son over. They were alone; Mae had gone shopping and Miles was searching for work. Jesse had stayed behind to help his father build what was to be his ma and pa's new home._

"_Sure, okay," Jesse replied._

_They sat down on the stumps of the trees they had finished cutting just a bit ago. "I…I don't think we should go back to Treegap."_

_Jesse gaped at his father. "…What?"_

"_It's for the best. Listen…" Then Tuck told him what he told Winnie; about the wheel and how life would move on. He said that if Winnie had heeded his words, she would not drink the water._

"_How would you know! You wouldn't know what she decided yet!" Jesse yelled. What if Winnie did drink the water? Then she would be even more alone than he was!_

_END FLASHBACK_

Jesse now understood. Winnie was smart. She would make her decision wisely. She wouldn't drink the water.

His love would be forever lost to the certainty of death.

"Ahh! Look out!" someone called as they bumped into him, knocking him over. "I'm so sorry, I should have been more careful," the person said as they struggled to get up. She was a girl who was seventeen, with long red hair and big eyes. She was as beautiful as he pictured Winnie to one day look.

"Nah, it's my fault. I was too busy thinking instead of looking," Jesse smiled as he helped the girl gather her things.

"Thanks," she said with a big smile. "I'm Natasha Williams." The two shook hands and walked together.

"So you're part Russian, part English. I should have known, judging by your accent," he said.

"Yes, my father used to teach me all sorts of different languages."

Jesse noticed a shadow fall on Natasha's face, and decided to switch subjects. "I'm Jesse. Jesse Tuck."

"Nice to meet you!" Natasha said with a grin. "Although I wish we had met under better circumstances than me bumping into you."

"For the last time, it was my fault." Jesse smiled bigger. Natasha would be a good friend, he could tell. Perhaps with her help, he would be able to forget about Winnie.

The next few months flew by quickly. As Natasha and Jesse grew closer, the more Winnie was forgotten to Jesse. He believed she would get married one day and forget all about him, so what was the point on holding onto something that was hopeless?

Then one day…

"Jesse!" Natasha screamed as Jesse tried to get in the buggy before Natasha caught up to him. He knew he had to leave, because it was two years since they met each other. Two years of him unchanging. Surely Natasha would put the pieces together. It was better to get out of the country before she rejected him. Then again, he hadn't seen much of a difference in how she looked to much, but that was probably just him.

Natasha grabbed onto Jesse's shirt, pulling him out of the buggy and onto the road. "Ow! Watch it!" he cried as he landed on his back.

"Jesse Tuck, I want answers! Why are you leaving without saying goodbye? That's not like you at all."

He looked at the ground. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he whispered, barely audible.

Natasha put her hands on her hips. "Oh really?" she asked, and amused look on her face. "Try me." As they got off the busy street and into a small forest nearby, Jesse continued not to tell her. "Listen," Natasha said, looking away. "If I tell you a secret about myself, will you tell me yours? I never told anyone this, even my parents. It's not exactly something I want to share, but your secret may be as big as mine if you're this reluctant to tell me." She took a big breath. 'This is it,' she thought. 'He's going to despise me.'

She looked to make sure Jesse was paying attention, and turned away. "Long ago, a girl my age and her family decided to take a trip. They decided a quaint little town would do the job. You probably never heard of it; it's called Treegap.

"Anyway, when the girl decided to take a trip in the nearby woods, she grew thirsty and found a little spring. The water didn't look dirty, and so she took a sip." Natasha looked Jesse hard in the face, while his eyes practically popped out. "That was ninety years ago. She never grew, never aged. She ran away, traveling the world.

"Jesse, I'm that girl."

**Prettyinpinkgal: So that's the chappy for ya! Hope ya enjoyed it. Gotta go; please review! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter Four: Welcome Back

**Prettyinpinkgal: Sorry for the delay! 43 reviews...Thank you everybody! Thank you thank you thank you! I love reading what you guys have to say, especially with the many reviews bashing Natasha and supporting WinnieJesse! Well, I've kept you guys waiting long enough; here's chapter four!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting at all. So please don't sue! But in case you _do _sue, I have a lawyer ready! (shows lawyer, aka Patrick from Spongebob). **

**Patrick: Is this Pizza Castle?**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER FOUR: WELCOME BACK**

Jesse and Natasha, having confided in both about their eternal decisions, traveled to France, touring the Eifel Tower and Notre Dame. They began to like each other, and eventually loved. Thirty years after that, since there was no hurry, Jesse asked Natasha to marry him. With great happiness, she said yes and are now married in a nice little cottage in Sweden with their ten kids...(A/N I'm kidding! There's no kids, no cottage, and they're not married yet. Just engaged. Sorry; had to do that XP)

Jesse had no recollection at all about Winnie. His only focus was on his love right in front of him, Natasha. "Say, Natasha. How about we go and live in the home in Treegap I lived in once? We wouldn't have to worry about people finding out about us or anything since it's in the middle of the woods. What do you say?"

Natasha beamed and nodded. "That sounds wonderful! We could have a nice, private wedding and everything. It would be great."

"How about we bring my family? I'm sure they'd love to see the wedding," Jesse replied.

"Of course!"

"Then let's find them and get going!"

A year later, they found the Tucks and began on their journey to Treegap.

* * *

Thirty years. It had been thirty years since Winnie Foster had drunk the water. Thirty years since she had decided to wait for Jesse's return. She had taken up residence in the Tucks' old home. She kept it neat and clean, ridding it of all the cobwebs that had started indwelling in the house. Winnie hadn't moved anything an inch from where the Tucks had left it, except when she sat to eat some food she had bought at other towns (always disguising herself, just in case). 

One day, Winnie was cautiously walking through the woods, thoroughly enjoying it, despite her caution. She remembered that Jesse had let his guard down when she first met him, and while it proved to be a wonderful event for Winnie, she still was careful walking around.

Winnie glanced at the spot where the magical water had been. She had decided twenty years ago to bury it and make it look like it was never a spring. To her surprise, there was a gravestone there. Her gravestone.

_What in the world? _she wondered as she gazed at it. It read that she had...married and had children? Winnie couldn't believe her eyes.

"This is so strange...Why would someone do this?" she wondered out loud. Then she realized it: Her parents probably did it to explain her disappearance. They told everyone that she had married and was a mother, then died.

Shaking her head at the tombstone and the sudden overwhelming urge to see her parents, she continued walking. Her family would be the Tucks, when they returned. Winnie imagined Jesse, her Jesse, looking at her in surprise when he came back with his family, then would be overjoyed. She smiled to herself. She couldn't wait to see him.

Of course, Winnie Foster was looking forward to seeing Mae, and Tuck. They always treated her kindly, and they were closer to her than her own parents. Miles was also missed by Winnie. He was like the older brother she never had.

Winnie sighed as she walked back to the Tucks' old house. _How much longer do I have to wait to see them? _she asked herself. Winnie glanced up at the blue sky mostly hidden by trees. "I want to see you, Jesse..."

* * *

Jesse and Natasha explained their engagement to the Tucks, who were overjoyed. They immediately started heading back to Treegap. 

While Natasha was asleep, along with Miles and Tuck, Mae spoke to Jesse quietly as they moved along the road. "Jesse," she started, somewhat hesitantly. "Jesse, do you truly love Natasha?"

Jesse looked at her with wide eyes. "Of course I do! That's why I asked her to marry me!" Mae shushed him, as to not awake the others.

"It's just that," Mae said, "I can't help thinking you and Winnie belonged together..."

"Winnie? Who's that?" Jesse asked, thoroughly confused.

Mae stared at him. "Jesse Tuck, you know who Winnie is. Winnie Foster, Winifred Foster?" she offered.

"I think I remember some person named Winnie, but not to well." Suddenly, he remembered. He ran his fingers through his hair. "That's right, I remember now. But Ma, Winnie is probably some rich woman living in France or something. She wouldn't have drunk the water. She's smart; she wouldn't have done something to make her like us."

"Yes, yes, I know, but still...I don't know. I just have this feeling in my bones that you two should be together. Don't get me wrong, Natasha is a wonderful girl, but..."

"Ma, I love her, and that's that! Not some forty-year-old Winnie Foster!" With that, he put his hat over his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

Winnie awoke one morning when she heard horses. She prayed quickly that it wasn't anyone from town, and her prayers were answered as she briefly looked out the window. 

Her gasped happily and quickly got dressed. She ran outside and waved. "Mae! Tuck! Miles! Jesse!" she cried with delight.

The group turned towards her. Time stood still for a moment. Winnie's hand dropped as well as her smile. "You don't remember me, do you?" _I should have known,_ she thought bitterly as she felt more and more like she'd been kicked in the stomach. _It's been decades; of course they wouldn't remember me._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a, "Who are you?" It came from Miles.

Winnie kept her misery hidden as she put on a smile. "Um, a seventeen-year-old Winnie Foster."

Again, silence. Then...

"Oh, my goodness, Winnie!" Mae ran up to her and hugged her tightly. Winnie sobbed out of joy and hugged her just as tightly. "Look at you, just look at you! You've grown up to be such a beautiful young woman, Winnie," Mae cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Winnie." The girl turned to see a flabberghasted Miles Tuck. She just laughed and hugged him as well. To her surprise, he was crying too. "I can't believe it's really you!" he said, covering his mouth as he tried to calm himself down.

"You drank the water, didn't you, Winnie?" Tuck asked, glaring at her.

She looked at the ground. "I...I'm sorry, I just felt like it was something I had to do. I almost didn't drink it, but I decided against it."

"Do you realize what you've done?" came Tuck's biting words. She nodded. His voice became kinder. "Well, it's too late to do anything about it. It's good to see you again, Winnie Foster." He patted her on her shoulder, and Winnie hugged him.

"Where's Jesse?" she asked excitedly. The three looked at one another and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Winnie, dear, there's something we ought to tell you..." Mae began.

"Who are you?" Winnie turned to see a girl about her age. On her hand was an engagement ring.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Cliffy! Mwahaha! I'm sorry again about the long wait. I had a bunch of other stories to try and update, as well as school and piano...so I'm sorry! But, um, anyway, please review!**


	5. Chapter Five: Jealousy and Hurt

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hi! School started...NOO! (sobs) Although, the good news is that we're learning languages this year, so I thank God for that! 54 reviews! Woot! Thank you so much! I liked reading your comments about Natasha. ;) Here's the next chap! And I guess it is pretty weird that Jesse forgot about Winnie, but it has been a while and he loved Natasha, so he moved on and probably made himself forget about Winnie since he figured she'd still be aging.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tuck Everlasting...just a copy of the book. I don't even own a copy of the movie! (sobs) **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER FIVE: JEALOUSY AND HURT**

Winnie blinked. "Um, I'm Winnifred Foster. Everyone calls me Winnie. And you?" she asked the girl before her.

"I'm Natasha Williams. Although, I guess I'll soon be Natasha Tuck!" she said happily.

Winnie thought for a moment. Then she grinned. "Miles! You're getting married?"

Miles looked uneasy. "I'm not marrying her, Winnie. Her fiancee's..."

Suddenly, a boy about seventeen hopped out of the back of the wagon. He stopped and looked at the scene before him. His family felt ackward as they awaited what was sure to be a fight between Winnie, Jesse, and Natasha.

Jesse stared at the girl he barely recognized, but it hit him within moments. This girl was Winnie Foster, a seventeen-year-old. She's grown up a lot, her brown hair longer and more beautiful than he remembered. She'd matured a lot from the ten-year-old he once knew.

"Winnie?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Jesse," she breathed, tears of happiness sliding down her cheeks.

"How...I mean, why..." Jesse cleared his throat as he searched for the words he was looking for. "Um, I thought you didn't drink the water..."

Winnie smiled through her tears as she said, "Well, I did!"

"But...why?" he asked bluntly.

Winnie blushed a bit, especially due to the fact that she was going to say this in front of the Tucks and a girl she barely knew. "I did it because...I love you, Jesse." Winnie felt a joy she had never felt before. The Tucks were back, and she was staring right at the boy she loved!

"Excuse me, but Jesse's my fiancee," Natasha in an angry tone. She turned to Jesse. "Who is she?"

Jesse felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. Winnie drank the water for him. She'd given up her family, her life, her future, for _him_. But he loved Natasha now. "Uh, Winnie was a girl I knew a long time ago. She drank the water like you, I guess," Jesse said, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

Winnie stared at Jesse. "You're...engaged?"

"Winnie..." Jesse Tuck tried searching for some words of consolation; something to make the pain easier for Winnie to take. However, there were no such words. So he lamely said, "I'm sorry."

Just like that, Winnie's eternal world came crashing around her.

Jesse added, "I like you as a friend, but nothing more." Seeing Winnie's crestfallen expression nearly killed him. Turning away, he said, "I'm sorry, Winnie." For some reason, he still felt attracted to Winnie. But he shook his head. He was engaged. He couldn't be feeling like this.

Winnie began trembling, tears beginning to form. She gave up her life for him, all for him, but he was engaged. Winnie looked at the ground while her bangs covered her eyes. _No. I'm not going to cry in front of them. _She could vaguely feel Mae patting her back, saying, "I'm sorry, Winnie."

Suddenly, Winnie felt something she never felt before. Hatred. Hatred for the words "I'm sorry" that bring nothing but pain. Hatred for herself, that she gave up everything for this eternal hurt. Hatred she couldn't find Jesse before Natasha did. Hatred that he choose her over Winnie.

Winnie Foster never felt hatred before, to anything. When she was ten and ran away, she didn't hate her family or her life. Disliked, yes. But she didn't hate. Now, the bitter feeling swept over her. _Why did he choose her over me? _

But Winnie didn't hate Natasha. And she certainly didn't hate Jesse. But she did feel like she hated herself. If she had only gone off to search for him sooner... What ifs filled her mind, but she shook them away. There was no undoing what had already been done. She had to accept that Jesse was taken by another woman. Easier said than done.

"Congratulations," she choked out, her throat tight from the hidden tears. Forcing a smile, she said, "You're very lucky, Natasha."

Natasha looked surprised. Who could blame her? Winnie had waited for years for Jesse to come back, and had given up her death for him. Now, he was out of reach, and Winnie was speaking kindly, if not sadly, to the woman who kept him from her.

Try as she might, Winnie could not look Jesse in the eye. She simply said, "Goodbye." And off she ran. She vaguely heard the Tucks calling after her. Even Natasha could be heard calling. But not Jesse. Not the one person she wanted to hear beg for her to come back.

He didn't care. He didn't care at all! He was going to live for eternity with a beautiful wife and wouldn't think again about Winnie. She would be a forgotten memory.

Winnie didn't know where she was going. She didn't care anyway. She could only think, _Get away from Jesse. Run away. Never look back. Forget him. Forget everything. Just run, then cry. _

She then realized she was in the deepest part of the woods. How she had once loved these woods! Even before she met the Tucks, the towering trees she saw from her old yard were amazing to her. Now, the woods were a painful reminder of the Tucks. And Jesse.

Winnie now knew she was far enough away. Then, she broke down. She collapsed onto the leaf-covered ground and sobbed, for how long, she didn't know. Before she knew it, however, the sun began to set, first turning the sky to a fiery orange-red, then slowly into a dark black with some dots for stars. Gradually, the tears began to subside, but not altogether stop. Her eyes began to droop, and finally fell to sleep.

A couple thoughts floated in her mind before she lost consciousness: _Why? _and _Jesse..._

Winnie Foster's dreams would then be haunted by images of Jesse and Natasha, as well as Natasha's engagement ring.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I don't think it was very long, so I apologize for that. Well, other than that, how was the chapter? Pretty depressing, huh? Well, please review:)  
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* * *


	6. Chapter Six: An Unexpected Friend

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hey! I'm sorry for the typos and for not updating as much as I should. I either get writer's block, I'm working on my other stories, or my limit of time on the computer makes me unable to write too much. Not to mention schoolwork and how I'm going to be moving soon. But I'll try to update more frequently. I'm really sorry about taking so long :( And in response to Ashley-Paige's review, no, that's not wrong, cuz I kind of dislike her myself, and I created her! lol But it's kind of fun writing about characters I don't like, so I'm okay with her being in the story:) Also, in the movie, Winnie is portrayed as about 17, while in the book, she's 10. Thanks everyone for your encouragement! 71 reviews! Woot!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Tuck Everlasting." **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

**CHAPTER SIX: AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND  
**

Jesse watched as Winnie ran into the depths of the woods. He wanted to call out like the others, he truly did, but what could he say to her? "Oh, I'm sorry Winnie. I know you decided to have eternal life to be with me, but I already love someone else. Move on and find someone else." Riiight.

But Jesse felt still cared about Winnie, although not in a romantic sort of way. It's strange how life works. It wasn't that long ago that he'd hoped she'd come back and live with him forever. He had Natasha, and then Winnie showed up. His old dream had been fulfilled, but he loved Natasha now.

After getting many looks from his family and fiance (Natasha knew about love, so she felt truly sorry for Winnie, especially since Winnie tried acting so kind to her), he said, "I'm going to look for her." And off he went.

* * *

It was night by the time Jesse thought about giving up. He'd looked for her for hours. Perhaps she'd gone to town. But no; it had only been thirty years. Surely _someone _would recognize her. She had to be in the woods. 

He looked around some more, then tripped over a branch. _Man, am I clumsy! _Suddenly, he noticed the branch stirring, which was really a leg, Jesse realized.

"Winnie?" he asked. Slowly, the girl sat up and rubbed her eyes. He could barely make her out in the darkness, but he still couldn't help but gaze at her faint beauty. His heart skipped a beat. _Wait a second! _he shouted in his mind, shaking all romantic thoughts for the girl out of his head. _You love Natasha! Don't look at other women!_

Winnie was finally awake enough to tell where she was and who he was. She said coldly, "oh, it's you." That simple phrase felt like a knife stabbed Jesse in the stomach.

He sighed. "Winnie, please come with me," he pleaded. "Let's go back to the house..."

Winnie cut him off. "I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides, Natasha may get the wrong idea."

"Come on, Winnie! Natasha's worried about you too. She'll understand. And besides, you don't really have anywhere to go," he said matter-of-factly.

Winnie glared at him through the darkness. "Don't remind me."

Jesse frowned. "Don't blame me. You're the one who drank the water!"

"You're the one who suggested it!" Winnie shot back.

"Well, it's not like I expected you to drink it!" Jesse shouted. They were both alike; both were extremely stubborn.

"Well, excuse _me _for falling for you!" she shouted. Suddenly, she got quiet. "Jesse," she started, "was there a time, no matter how short it was, that you loved me?"

Jesse didn't know how to answer. Was what he felt back then really love? Was what he felt for Natasha really love? After a long silence, he replied, "Maybe."

"Oh. Okay." The two were silent again, forgetting completely about their small argument. Suddenly, Winnie sneezed. "So even people like us can get sick," she said with a small chuckle.

Jesse smiled. "Yeah. How about you stay in our house?" he asked, bringing up the suggestion once again.

There was a brief pause. "Alright. Just until I find another place to stay," she said. Jesse helped her to her feet, and they held hands as he guided her back to the cottage.

Winnie wasn't sure how this was going to work out. How long could she stand seeing Natasha and Jesse together? How long could she bear seeing the Tucks having another girl in their life, leaving Winnie as an outsider?

Winnie Foster wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to get another place to stay. And fast.

* * *

That night, Natasha and Winnie stayed in the same room. Despite the couple of coughs that came from Winnie, the girls were silent. 

Winnie had mixed emotions about Natasha. She seemed nice enough, and perhaps they'd even get to be friends--if Winnie stayed in the house long enough, that is. But then again, Natasha was also Jesse's fiance. Winnie just couldn't ignore that fact.

"Um...Winifred? Are you awake?" Natasha asked quietly.

"Yes. And please, call me Winnie," the other girl replied. They didn't once glance at each other.

"Alright. Is it alright if I ask you a question, Winnie?"

Curious, Winnie replied, "Of course. What is it?"

"I wanted to hear how you met the Tucks. I mean, if you want to tell me. I'll understand if..."

Winnie stopped her and smiled. At least Natasha was being considerate. "It's alright. I don't mind telling you. I was ten at the time, and my family owned these woods."

"You're father and mother must have been very wealthy!" Natasha whispered.

Winnie nodded, but realized Natasha might not have been able to see her gesture. So she said, "Yes, they were. They were good people for the most part, but they kept me so confined in that house, I felt like a dog in a cage. So, I decided to run away." Blissful memories came pouring back to Winnie. She smiled and closed her eyes, reliving each event. "I came to the woods, where I saw Jesse drinking the magic water. He tried telling me that it was poisonous, but I told him that if it was poisonous, he wouldn't be drinking it..."

She explained the events that occured after, and when she finished, she felt like some of her sorrow had disappeared. Natasha was quiet.

Finally, Natasha said, "I see." Then," ...You really love Jesse, don't you?"

The question surprised Winnie, but answered with a small blush, "Yes, I do. To be honest, I'm jealous of you. You really are lucky." Winnie sighed, then quickly said, "Oh, but don't worry! I'm not going to try and get between you and Jesse, trust me! I love Jesse, but I'd never do anything that despicable!"

Natasha giggled. "Don't worry; I trust you." After pausing, she said, "Winnie?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry." Before Winnie could say anything, Natasha had fallen asleep.

She looked up at the ceiling. _Me, too._

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm starting to not dislike Natasha (the horror!) I know, this chapter was even shorter than the last chapter, but I thought it'd be a good place to stop. Besides, any update's better than nothing, right? Please review! And thank you all for your support!  
**


	7. Chapter Seven: Suitors

**Prettyinpinkgal: I first published this story when I was almost thirteen years old. I last updated it when I was thirteen. My goodness, that flew by. "Foster Everlasting" is back, with an eighteen-year-old prettyinpinkgal! And I'm even a self-published author now! (In a moment of shameless advertising, you can go to my website alyssabcole[dot]webs[dot]com.) Isn't that strange? It's funny, because whenever I try to pick up old fanfiction projects, it feels like my writing reverts back to a thirteen-year-old's (which, rereading some of my old writing, is pretty horrifying!). I've been rereading some of the reviews for this story, and may I just say that you guys are the sweetest people ever? I'd rather like to give up this story, but maybe there's some of you, even after half a decade, who want to know what happens next. And so, may I present another chapter of "Foster Everlasting". ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SUITORS  
**

It was early the next morning that Winnie slipped out of the house. She had a slight cough, but it was nothing a bit of medicine couldn't cure. Perhaps the Tucks had brought some with them, but she didn't bother checking. She needed an excuse to get out of the house.

After jotting down a quick note, Winnie grabbed her coat and walked through the familiar woods as the sun began to rise. The birds' songs brought her some semblance of comfort. The individual birds might have died, but new ones always took their places, and thus the songs continued daily for the past thirty years. Did any normal person notice this wonder? The everlasting song lifted her spirits slightly.

Treegap had modernized, and the horses and buggies, despite the stubbornness of its people, had eventually given way to the automobiles which now honked noisily on the streets. The town had grown, too, which resulted in...more honking.

"They're noisy for so early in the morning," she murmured aloud, darting out of the way of one traveler. "I wonder what Mother would have said about vehicles. No doubt nothing good. Father probably would have hated them until he found some sort of economical value in..."

With an audible _clack_, Winnie shut her mouth. Her heartache was making her think of what might have been. That would only make her feel worse. She didn't need to think about the fact that her father had committed suicide ten years after her disappearance and her mother had supposedly died of heartbreak the winter after.

As a result of these distracting thoughts-and the fact that it was doubly distracting trying to push them from her mind-it took her some time to realize the doorhandle she had been jiggling was not making the door give way. Her eyes turned to the sign, and then she turned to her pocketwatch. It would be another half an hour till the store was open.

With a sigh, Winnie decided extending her stroll wouldn't be a bad thing. She came all the way out here, and she was not about to return to the house in the woods for a while, if she could help it.

Absently, she hummed Mae's song under her breath, watching as the rest of the townspeople-besides those unnerving motorists-slowly woke. Treegap had grown, but almost all of the original stores remained. Many of the original families had remained as well, but seeing her now, after so long, would not spark recognition in but a few, as she was rarely seen and the scandal her disappearance must have caused possibly remained in the memory of some particularly attentive gossips. But they would probably blink, brush off the memory, and think of her as nothing but a lookalike to the Winnie Foster of a few decades past.

She floated into an especially familiar part of town, and there stood her old home, now owned by another family. The gate was open. Winnie was very glad of it.

A car came honking, and Winnie kept walking, both to avoid unnecessary company and unnecessary memories. The first would not be denied, however. "Why, hello, there. So, beauty rises with the day, eh? How about I take you to wherever you wanted to go?" the man in the car said, leaning over. He winked.

Winnie was not familiar with men. Her love for Tuck was the pure, innocent sort, the sort young girls dream of before the world taints them. As she left very soon after she drank the water, and in "her day" (goodness, how old she seemed with that phrase!) people behaved like ladies and gentlemen, particularly as the only people admitted into the Fosters' acquantaince were of those categories, she was unused to such forward remarks. Her mother would have fallen into a cold faint if she had seen the sort of degradation that had happened in their society! To see women wearing such short, close-fitting dresses that exposed so much leg and skin-God forbid they were..._flappers_...!-and the gentlemen behaving very...ungentlemanly would have driven her to her grave had she lived to see it.

With an awkwardness that showed she was a novice to such situations, combined with a finality in her voice that displayed she was not flattered by such advances, she said, "I really have to be going. I prefer walking, thank you."

"Your dress is longer than what most girls wear nowadays," he observed, keeping the car in a creep as he drove alongside her ever-hastening stride. "Your parents' old-fashioned?"

"Yes" was her curt reply.

"Fine by me. I like leaving it...up to the imagination."

Her face grew hot by the comments she did not understand, but knew by a woman's intuition that they were not proper and something that would have gotten had him thrown out of the house. It most likely was related to a topic Mother had meant to withhold until her wedding night...

But now Mother was gone, and no wedding _day _would ever arrive.

The thought threw several logs of wood into the already brewing fire in her soul, and Winnie suddenly felt her anger was about to boil over. She did not want a "gentleman caller" and if this man did not understand common sense...well, then, she would make him!

She spun around and commanded in her most Foster-ish tone, "Go away. I am in no mood for your antics, nor do I wish for them. I pity the girl you bore and irk next."

"Oh, stop acting so high and mighty!" he said, his flirtatious attitude suddenly faded as proud anger overtook it. "You're not so good looking yourself!"

"Ah, so the 'beauty rises with the day' nonsense was indeed nonsense?"

He spouted some word that would have made Grandmother shriek until her fake teeth fell out, and as he drove off he pulled the car disturbingly close to Winnie, causing her to cry out and fly backwards in order to avoid a collision. She fell, dirtying her already well-worn dress, and sighed.

"Are you all right, miss?"

The voice belonged to a man. _Not another one! _Winnie cried mentally, aggravated enough. "I'm fine, thank you, although my dress can't say the same..."

As she looked into his face, she found herself reexamining all the faces of old acquaintances long ago, trying to place the man who appeared to be ten years older than her. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she silently laughed at herself, certain that the only reason the face seemed so familiar to her was because he was the descendant of some family acquaintance.

But he was staring at her, too.

"'If you say something about beauty rising with the day, I will smack you," she warned, a slight smile on her face.

He blinked hard, then laughed. "I could try waxing poetic, but it seems your earlier catch filled your appetite of pretty words already."

"You say 'catch' as if I wanted him to be here!"

He laughed heartily at this. "I beg your pardon. You..." He was eyeing her again, but not exactly in the same fashion as the previous admirer. "You need your dress cleaned. Here, let me buy you a new one."

"There's no need!" she cried, a bit embarrassed. "The stores aren't even open yet."

"I have connections." He led her back into the commercial part of town and towards the back of a small clothing store Winnie had not noticed before. "Walter, it's me! I have a customer for you!" the man shouted, pounding on the door.

After a few moments of this, a large, sloppily-dressed man opened the door. Yawning, he said, "Jim Harding? You _do _realize the store opens in another hour, right?"

"First off," Jim said with a tight smile, "as I've told you before, I prefer James. Only a select few may call me Jim, and they're long gone. Secondly, I found a way for you to repay your debts to me: by providing this young lady with a new dress."

For the first time, Walter seemed to notice Winnie standing uncomfortably in the doorway. "Ah! Forgive me, miss; I didn't see you there. I'm not a morning person, you see, hence why we open _an hour later_. But, since we have an emergency situation, I'll excuse it." He turned towards James. "You mean _all _of my debts?"

"All of them," affirmed Winnie's companion.

"Well, then, let's get to it!" Walter laughed, taking a quick look at Winnie's size before almost skipping off on his way to find some suitable dresses.

Winnie smiled. She still was unused to seeing other folks, but seeing Walter and James's interactions made her forget her heartache temporarily. "What debts?" she asked James, who was busying himself with looking at his pocketwatch.

"Gambling," he admitted sheepishly after a moment's hesitation. "When you have as much free time as I do, you start picking up bad habits to kill the time."

Winnie thought about this. "I suppose I can understand that."

James smiled strangely. "I knew you would."

Walter came back just then, pulling Winnie in jubilantly and directing her to the changing room.

After a few minutes of trying on the different dresses, Winnie called a bit helplessly, "Um, which one is the cheapest?"

"Do you like them all?" Walter sounded very proud, and Winnie could not help but giggle.

"I do, but-"

James cut in. "Winnie, those dresses altogether won't even cover half of Walt's debt, so don't worry about it. He's fine with you taking all of it."

"Well, I still was hoping I'd make some extra profit from whatever she didn't pick..."

"Oh? I'm forgiving your debt by taking only a few dresses as payment. Isn't that profit enough for you?" James asked in a voice full of forced amiability, and Winnie snickered again.

"Don't bully him, James!" she called, slipping into one of the clean dresses. "I'm very happy with just one dress, thank you. Some of these other ones are...not my taste, anyway." She glanced at one of the more modern gowns. "And some are too fancy for my lifestyle, so..."

"Oh? Do you not live in town, then, miss?" Walter called.

Too much information. Winnie bit her lip before replying. "My family would think I'm putting on airs if I dressed too nicely," she replied lightly, entering the main room again.

James seemed to cover a laugh with a cough, but Winnie wasn't sure.

"Well, if you're sure you don't want the rest," Walter said, surprisingly reluctantly. "I do feel like I ought to give you these. Maybe someday, when you've grown up a bit more, you will find them useful."

Winnie smiled a bit sadly. "Yes, maybe when I've grown up." _That's true, _she thought. _I need to find another place to stay anyway. I should have some nice gowns in case some good fortune comes my way. Maybe, _she added a little wryly, _I can wear one of them to the wedding._

"Then you'll take them? Good! Now I won't feel too guilty. Nice meeting you, miss...?"

"Winnie Kendal," James cut in smoothly, smiling.

"Miss Kendal. Perhaps I'll see you again with this lad some other time," he said with a wink.

Winnie smiled politely as he wrapped her dresses and handed them to her. After the men said their goodbyes, Winnie once again followed James, this time into a more awake streeth.

"By the way, you look stunning in that dress. Walter's a good man, and he'd been begging me to cut him so slack, so we killed two birds with one stone, didn't we?" he said, offering his arm.

Winnie didn't take it. "I thought you looked familiar. I never told you my name, and it's too strange that you chose the name Kendal to protect my identity, even if you claim your own is Harding.

"You're James Kendal, aren't you?"

He paused, then smiled. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Winnie. Especially since it isn't in your father's stuffy sitting room!"

**Prettyinpinkgal: Nope, no Jesse in this chapter. He's taking a time-out since he was naughty and went finding some other woman while Winnie gave up her mortality for him.**


	8. Chapter Eight: An Old Acquaintance

**Prettyinpinkgal: I already got a review! Thank you very much to Leena Lionheart. Oh, and just in case some of you forgot, James's previous appearance was in Chapter Two. =) Also, it has been YEARS since I've read/watched "Tuck Everlasting", and I'm relying on Wikipedia and what I previously wrote to guide me through this, so I beg forgiveness if I make mistakes. I would also like to say that "Foster" will most likely have one ending that I think will make the story flow better, but I will also post the alternative ending after that, so that way everyone's happy. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER EIGHT: AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE  
**

"I'm flattered you remember me," James went on to say, "considering we only met briefly thirty years ago."

"I could say the same," replied Winnie, although her expression did not change from its stony appearance. "Although I think neither of us have changed enough to warrant being unrecognizable."

James's smile became just a bit tighter. "Indeed. Although I think you're not quite as outspoken as you used to be."

Winnie's dark expression faded as she quirked a brow. "Really? I think I told you and that Romeo earlier off pretty well."

He chuckled at that. "True. But you were a little subtler than you used to be. Not quite as brash, I think one could say."

"That was when I was young and seventeen." She paused. "Really seventeen. It seems that the water kept us forever young physically, but we can mature mentally." Winnie surveyed him. "You've changed as well, a little. You were more cheerful back then."

"Perhaps we ought to talk in a quieter location. Shall we go into the woods?"

Her sharp look returned. _He's not like the man all those years ago, the one who tried selling the Tucks out. He's been given immortality as well. But I still can't fully trust him._

"No, let's find somewhere else," she said after a moment. Winnie expected some evidence of his surprise or curiosity that no doubt would have resulted from this reply, but he simply nodded and replied, "As ironic as it is, in more than one way, the graveyard is the only place nearby that's quiet, and it's almost never visited by anyone."

"Fine. Let's go."

He offered out his arm, and she reached out to take it-

"Winnie!"

She whirled around and saw...Miles standing there, slightly out of breath. Hiding her disappointment, she smiled and said, "I wrote that I'd be back soon."

Miles said, perhaps a little sheepishly, "Oh, no, I actually just came into town for some supplies."

Winnie's heart slid down a little more. _Why did I expect he'd be concerned for me? Jesse certainly hasn't been for the past thirty years, and he was the one I felt closest with. Oh, well; I did write a note, so I can hardly blame him. What a selfish creature I am._

Miles continued. "But I spotted you over here and you looked like you were having a bit of trouble with someone." His eyes flicked up to James's, and they were filled with warning.

_I suppose I probably shouldn't have looked so serious. _She had to admit, though, it was so nice to know someone cared enough. Once again, she thought about how Miles was like the brother she never had.

"Hey!" James protested, and Winnie quickly cut in:

"Oh, no. Thank you so much, Miles. It really does mean a lot to me that you care. Honest. But I just was having a little reunion with a friend of mine. We were actually just about to go off and have a little chat. I'll see you..." Oops. She almost said "at home." "...I'll see you later then?"

"Don't stay out too long," he cautioned.

Winnie grinned. "I won't."

He left, possibly a little reluctantly, and Winnie's heart swarmed with warmth. The truth was, she wasn't too selfish. It was simply that the fact that after thirty years of loneliness, someone was there to "watch her back" as they say. Perhaps it wasn't Jesse as she'd been hoping, but it was a pleasant feeling nonetheless.

"I assume he's a friend of yours?" James inquired, looking a bit flustered. Winnie didn't blame him; Miles was rather intimidating.

"Yes. A good one. Now, shall we go?"

James did not offer his arm this time, and they walked side-by-side to the cemetary. "As to what you were saying," James began, "I think it's impossible for anyone to remain as cheerful as they once were before gaining immortality. Especially you. Although," he added with a little laugh, "you weren't exactly cheerful then either. You looked like you could hide in a hole. You surprised me when you spoke against your parents though. I assumed you'd meekly go through with it."

"Never!" Winnie cried, and then flushed. "I'm sorry, it's nothing against you. I just always hated being told what to do. That sounds awfully bratish, I know, but it's true.

"All my life, I was never allowed to venture any further than the gate, even when I was ten years old. I was always alone, forced to be my family's pet project, always being groomed and forced to learn the pettiest things. As I grew a little older, I was allowed to go off to parties, but they were the worst affairs. Treegap has always been a small town, especially in those days, as I'm sure you remember. Society in bigger cities might have brought girls closer together if only to boost each other up the social scale, but there were no such goals here. It was all genuine friendship, although of course that got a little catty at times too. But since everyone else got to know each other naturally instead of being thrown together forcibly at obnoxious parties when they were younger, they reasonably flocked together and often left me out of it. Of course, that was probably not intentional, and they were nice to me, if only because I was one of the renowned Fosters, but...

"Oh!" Winnie clamped her mouth shut for a second. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling awfully."

"Am I the first person you told this to?" James asked. Winnie looked up, and saw that he was compassionate.

She smiled in appreciation. "The whole story? Yes. But I told another person when I was still a child."

"Was that the person who won your heart so fully?"

Winnie's eyes whipped to his, her face heating up rapidly. "H-how did you know about...?"

"My second sight is working well today, I see," he said, tapping his temple. "No, in all earnestness, it was just a guess. An arranged marriage, which has been medieval sounding even back when we were...normal, is more than enough cause for you to be so angry with your family, but I heard the rumors of your befriending a family and they had a teenage boy...Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine," Winnie sighed. "You're right. He's the other person I told."

"Things...aren't going well between you two?"

Winnie picked up her pace, knowing well that James was tall enough to need no more than a slightly larger stride to keep up with her. She did not even pause when she bowed her head politely to passersby on the street.

It seemed an eternity before they reached the church, darting behind it and doing a quick survey of the land. No one was present. Winnie's eyes flashed as she demanded, "Why did you say 'aren't?'"

"Sorry if I insulted you-"

"You know very well what I'm talking about!" Winnie cried. "You used present tense! You heard about the family I stayed with. You know them, don't you?"

He was silent.

"_Don't you?"_

_"_Not personally," he finally said. "I'd heard stories of them from my uncle when I was a boy. He told me of a family who never grew old. I later heard that he was killed by one of the Tucks, the family that supposedly abducted you."

Winnie's blood ran cold. She knew very well who this uncle of his was: The man in the yellow suit. "You...you must be joking. You've come here for revenge, haven't you?"

James's eyes widened. "Revenge? Oh, Lord, no. To be honest, I hadn't seen my uncle since long before I even reached adolescence. My parents cast him out, you see. Told him he was a good-for-nothing and putting the family to shame with his obsession, tainting my innocent mind with such notions as magic springs and all. I later realized he wasn't completely right in the head. My family severed all relations with him. And when I heard he'd come back to Treegap that time, I was sure he was following this mythical family of his. But when I heard of the murder, well, I knew he probably did something that made him deserve it."

"It never occurred to you that Mae was a bad person?" This was a delight to hear. In the years after her supposed "abduction", everyone, whenever someone brought it up (which was rare), they called the Tucks "wicked people" and "unforgivable". It was good to hear that someone didn't think so.

"No. And from what I heard, you were desparate to stay with them. Weren't you the one who broke Mae Tuck out of jail, too?"

She grinned. "Guilty as charged. It wasn't just me, though."

"You must have made your parents proud," he smirked, causing Winnie to laugh.

"Oh, yes. I was kept under good lock and key for a while there."

"I can imagine!"

For the next several minutes, they walked aimlessly around the cemetary, commenting on people they knew. They avoided looking at their own families; they took only a quick glance out of respect and desire, and then turned around quickly and stalked off somewhere else. The sun was now approaching the center of the sky; it was noon.

"Mind if I be nosy again?" James finally said.

Winnie groaned, then smiled a little playfully. "Might as well. You seem to have everything figured out, anyway."

"Was that Miles person a member of the Tuck family?"

Winnie hesitated. She believed James when he said he had no desire for revenge. He might have seemed a little aloof and guarded at times, but he had an expressive face, and it was because of this that she could easily tell when he wanted to drop a subject or dodge something, even if she didn't know what he was hiding exactly. When he said that, though, he was completely open and up-front. His uncle seemed to bring little emotion to his face save for a little remorse and, more predominantly, shame.

And besides, it'd be silly for her to be concerned now. What could he do to the Tucks? He was someone who beat time as well. The spring was gone. Even if he did have a vendetta against the Tucks, he obviously knew enough about them that even if she said nothing, he'd still find them. She might as well be honest.

"Yes, he is."

"I see. But he's not the one you fell for, though, right?"

"Oh, disgusting! Miles is old!"

This comment made them both laugh, amiably but with a very slight trace of bitterness, too small to perhaps be detected but enough to do damage to whoever absorbed it, not unlike arsenic.

"No, Jesse is his younger brother. He's...my age?" That seemed a little funny to think.

"What's gone wrong between you two, then?"

Winnie frowned. "Well...they only came back yesterday."

"For the first time since you turned?"

"For the first time since I was ten," Winnie answered dryly. "And Jesse'd managed to forget all about me. He told me...to drink the water when I was his age, so we could travel together, and maybe get married." As she spoke, her indignation, hurt, and painful love surfaced. "Do you realize how much that impacted such a young, naive girl who barely interacted with anyone before? Jesse was my dearest friend, and I thought I could love him. And over the years, I did fall in love with him. Those days with the Tucks were my most precious memories.

"And he's going to marry someone else."

All of a sudden, the grief she had been surpressing rumbled up within her again, and tears began to slip down. "S-sorry," she stuttered, trying to regain her composure. "I didn't...I thought I could talk about it without...It is helping...talking about it...I mean, the sooner I use up all my tears, the sooner I can...I can move on, right?

"Dear Lord, why did I waste my life on him?"

Like a little child, she burst into full-out tears, uncontrollable sobs wracking her ageless body. She felt James's arms wrap around her in a friendly, comforting hug, telling her, "Sorry, Winnie. I hope it gets easier for you. I'm sorry I brought it up."

And they stood there in the graveyard, the deceaseless surrounded by the deceased, misery engulfing them as they dealt with an unheavenly immortality.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I decided to make a comment here to break up the angst-fest. Guess what I realized while typing up this chapter? The boys in a possible love triangle: Jesse and James. Team Rocket anyone?**

**(Setting: Showdown in the Wild West, in a battle to win Winnie's heart)**

**Jesse: (whips out gun) Prepare for trouble.**

**James: (whips out two guns) Make it double.**

**Maybe it's the staying-up-till-ungodly-hours-in-the-morning syndrome talking, but I find that highly amusing. And somehow rather epic. XD**


	9. Chapter Nine: Complications

**Prettyinpinkgal: Another chapter, this time featuring Jesse! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER NINE: COMPLICATIONS  
**

"Jesse," Tuck said, "could you make sure the horses are fed?"

Jesse was just entering the room, yawning and stretching. "Already..."

Natasha, who was helping Mae make lunch, smiled. "Go on, lazybones. You're up late this morning."

He looked up blearily. "Couldn't sleep well."

Natasha's grin changed a little, and she turned back to the chicken. "I see."

Jesse realized his folly, and quickly donned a cheerful smile. "What's for breakfast?"

"Luncheon. I expect Winnie won't be back in time for it though. I wonder if Miles saw her in town?" Mae wondered aloud.

This caught Jesse's attention. As one might suspect, Winnie was the cause of his sleepless night. Her appearance had changed everything. Oh, why hadn't she stayed a child? If she was going to drink the fateful water at all, she should have drunk it then. It wasn't fair that...

No. What wasn't fair was that he had told her to drink it. He had placed himself in a small lonely child's life with the air of a dear friend, partly because he himself was lonely for companionship, and he had lured her into this sort of "life." And she had come willingly.

Miles's wife had once accused him of witchcraft. But it was Jesse who felt like the devil.

What was she doing now? Was she ever coming back? While lost in his thoughts, he had looked absently at her note. She said she would return, but what if it was a lie? He couldn't say it wouldn't be easier, having her gone. Then he could marry Natasha without a second thought.

And Natasha! She had been so stuck in this endless life for so long before he entered the picture. Jesse couldn't break it off for her. He couldn't cast her into the life that wasn't life again. But she grew strong through her life before him. She had drunk her sip of eternity by accident, as he had. They were both fine alone, despite how much they adored companionship. But Winnie...Winnie drank because of _him_. How could he ever make it up to her?

No. It wasn't even a contest. He loved Natasha now. He regretted what he did to Winnie and would make sure she had a good "life" to the best of his abilities, but it would be Natasha who would walk down the aisle to him.

He walked outside, lost in thoughts as he absently fed the horses. A figure caught his eye, and he turned to see Miles approach as he patted one of the creatures on its back.

"How was Treegap?" Jesse asked, trying to don his usual laidback expression.

"I saw Winnie," Miles said immediately.

Jesse's grin faded.

"She was with a man."

Jesse kept his expression blank.

"He was young..."

"Oh, geez, Miles, what do you want me to do?" Jesse exploded. "I have a fiancee! Winnie's...Well, she's certainly old enough to make her own decisions! I don't need to baby her! And I don't have any special claim on her, so it's none of my business!"

"What about as a friend?" Miles replied coolly. "She was angry with him. I approached her and asked if anything was wrong, but she said everything was fine. I don't think he's just some normal gentleman."

Jesse's eyes darkened. "What are you saying, Miles? Do you think he was trying to...do something?"

"No...She seemed genuinely fine with him. That's maybe what concerns me the most. If I thought he was someone disreputable, I would've taken her home right then and there. As it is, all we can do is wait and find out how she knows him."

Jesse relaxed a bit. "Sounds like there's not much of a problem. He's probably just a friend of hers, right?"

"Why would she have such a close friend she'd fight with him, and so soon after she drank the water?"

The younger lad rolled his eyes. "That was thirty years ago. You're such a worrywart, Miles. She wasn't with us more than a few days, yet she became such a part of our lives." _Especially mine_. "She'll definitely be home by sundown. You can interrogate her then."

"I won't interrogate her," grumbled Miles. "Is the lunch ready yet or not?"

"Should be soon."

Sure enough, Natasha had just poked her head out. "Oh, welcome back, Miles! Food's ready."

As she disappeared, Miles asked softly, "What are you going to do, Jesse?"

He knew it wasn't just a question about Winnie's gentleman friend. "I'm not really sure."

Jesse hadn't felt sure of anything since yesterday.


	10. Chapter Ten: Bonds

**Prettyinpinkgal: I hate writing Natasha with a passion, although I no longer hate her character, but I LOVE JAMES! Why the deuce is that? In other news, two chapters in the same night! I'm feeling a little proud of myself at the moment. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER TEN: BONDS  
**

"What are you going to do?" James finally asked after Winnie calmed down.

They were leaning rather disrespectfully against a gravestone, the only place in the world where the wheel did not turn. "I don't know," she whispered. "I should get out of here, but...Is it strange for me to be scared?"

"Not at all. You've lived in Treegap your whole life, and after you left home, you lived in the Tucks' home for thirty years, waiting. You've never seen anything."

"Jesse said he'd take me to see the world," Winnie laughed dryly. "Of course, that can still happen. I'll just tag along with him and Natasha while they go off for their honeymoon. I'm very rude. I never even asked where they were going. The Mediterranean? Perhaps China?"

"You can still go on your own," James said passionately. "You're strong, Winnie. You put all those other girls to shame. I've never met so much devotion in anyone before. If I could, I'd kill Jesse Tuck."

Winnie laughed, although she was rather touched by this display of emotion. "Thank you, James. Oh, but I've been so rude! James, what happened to you? How did you become like this?"

James shrugged. "Curiosity. You weren't the only one sick of bending constantly to their parents' will."

Winnie's eyes widened. "But you're a man!"

"Excellent observation. I was also the only son. That meant I was to inherit my father's business, and if I didn't do everything in my power to make it succeed, and make the family proud..." He drew an imaginary line across his neck. "That's an exaggeration, of course. But I heard about your disappearance, and about some of the rumors about how since you turned seventeen you must have stopped growing, because your features always stayed the same."

"No one suspected truly, did they?"

"Oh, no. It was just one of those fantastical rumors old wives concoct when they're bored and have no one to scold. But I knew, because of my uncle's stories. I went poking around and found a spring, and out of curiosity I drank it. I didn't expect anything to really happen, but when I realized it did, a hightailed it out of there just like you.

"I made my fortune elsewhere, enjoying freedom immensely and writing home when I could-but they almost never replied. My father had disowned me, furious at my 'selfishness'. Mother cried herself silly, but was more understanding. She snuck me letters when she could. She admitted that Father always burned my letters after reading them...'but only after he read it', she said.

"They died, and eventually I realized that, while being immortal allowed me to try all sorts of different pursuits, I was always alone. That's the worst thing about this, you know. You're always alone, never able to share anything with anyone. It makes you wish Armageddon was here, if only to terminate this pointless existance."

"I'd be sad if it did happen, now that I've finally made another friend besides the Tucks," Winnie sighed. "When did you come back to Treegap?"

"A few months ago, but I came back before that about a few years after I drank the water. Even then, I was growing disillusioned with neverending life. And I thought you deserved a proper end, so I made a gravestone and placed it in the same spot as the spring. Did you notice?"

"Did I notice!" Winnie cried, sitting up straight. "So it wasn't my family? It was you?"

"Yes. I didn't think you'd see it; I realized you were probably still at the Tucks' house, or else far away from Treegap. I doubted you'd venture so close to town to see the spring."

"You're right. I only noticed it two decades ago."

"Did you mind very much?"

"No. Actually, I was a little glad, somehow."

"No one went into Foster Forest, as I'm sure you know. I didn't think anyone but you would see it, or maybe the Tucks, but I wanted to do something."

Winnie paused. "Why? We met only once. Why go to such lengths?"

James paused too. "I don't really know. Maybe it was because you were the only real acquaintance I had in this 'afterlife'. I was impressed with you when we met, too. Or maybe I just wanted to do something to keep people from entering the same fate. I just felt like I had to. To show one of us existed."

Winnie tossed this over in her mind, as if weighing a bag of coins, and then nodded. At that moment, her stomach rumbled. "Ah! Oh, that scared me," she laughed. "I wonder if Mae and Natasha have lunch ready yet?"

"You want to eat what Natasha made?" James asked with a quirk of his brow.

"She's not going to poison me," she retorted, rolling her eyes in a very unladylike manner. "She's actually rather nice. I almost want to be friends with her. Although that sort of makes it worse... Ah, well, no use worrying about it now!" she declared with false cheeriness. "I need to stop whining about it. Jesse knows my feelings, nothing's going to change, so I should work on moving on. But..." and here she looked beseechingly at her new friend "...first I need a little moral support. Just don't try to kill Jesse."

"I will restrain myself. In fact, you will be stunned by how civil I can be around my uncle's murderess and my friend's cruel lover."

Winnie flushed under the name "lover" but said nothing, knowing full well that James meant what he said.

As they walked out, they bumped into a reverend.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," Winnie cried, dipping into a curtsy before she realized it was rather out of fashion now.

"Don't worry my dear." His old gaze shifted over to the graves. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, but despite the words it looks so peaceful, doesn't it?"

Winnie and James turned to gaze upon the silent graveyard, littered with flowers. "Yes, it does," James murmured.

"Ah, well, don't listen to this rambling old man. Have a lovely life, sir and madame." The reverend smiled.

Winnie smiled. She was always called "miss" due to her appearance. It was nice to feel like an adult.

They then took their leave, off to bear a rather uncomfortable luncheon.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Luncheon

**Prettyinpinkgal: Guess what? I ACTUALLY CAME UP WITH A REAL PLOT FOR THIS STORY. (cheers) It's small, but it works.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: LUNCHEON  
**

James and Winnie arrived just as the Tucks began eating. They stopped as soon as the door opened, a little abruptly, as if not waiting for her for the meal was almost as bad as not waiting for her to drink the water. Then they noticed the man standing next to her, and Jesse and Miles sent each other meaningful looks, although Miles's meaning was something along the lines of "Well, what do you know?" and Jesse's was basically, "Why the **censored **is she with him?"

"Oh, good, you're just in time!" Mae said, her motherly nature kicking in. "Have a seat, you two. I'm Mae Tuck."

James bowed. "James Kendel, ma'am."

"It's been so long since I've seen such old-fashioned manners, before," she chuckled. "Although I'm not one to judge what 'old-fashioned' is."

To the average listener, it might have seemed that she was only commenting on how she was older than the barely-adults populating the room, but everyone in the little cottage knew well that she was indeed talking about age, only in more extreme terms.

"I'm glad you're so kind, Mrs. Tuck," James said a little softly. Winnie glanced up at him and saw that he meant it. And little wonder: Although he was fairly convinced his uncle's mad obsession led to his downfall, she could imagine what a relief it was to feel that miniscule, shadowy doubt fade away under the truth: that Mae Tuck was a sweet, warm person, and looked as if she couldn't, and wouldn't, hurt a fly.

Mae flapped her hand in the air as if brushing away his comment. "Please, dear, everyone calls me Mae. This is my husband; we all just call him Tuck. And this is Miles, my eldest, Jesse, and his fiancee Natasha."

"Oh, yes, I've heard about you-" Winnie pinched his hand "-all," he added, glaring at her while she smiled so angelically, it was a little frightening.

They both sat and all began eating eagerly.

"So James," Jesse said casually, not noticing Natasha's glance. "How do you know Winnie?"

As James had a mouthful of food too thick to swallow immediately, Winnie answered in his stead. "He grew up in Treegap, and he was the son of my father's friend."

When James finally swallowed, he said, "Yes. Actually, the first time we met was when our families were pushing for us to wed."

Winnie Foster never claimed to be a saint. This was evident to her especially now, as she felt slight satisfaction at the fact that Jesse's food went down the wrong way and he was currently guzzling water like a drunk with beer.

"When was that?" Jesse demanded once he could breathe.

"Shortly after I drank the water," she answered lightly.

"But that was..."

Clatters filled the room as everyone sat down their utensils. "That was thirty years ago," Tuck finished Jesse's comment, looking gravely at the newcomer. "You know about the spring then? Who have you told?"

"The spring doesn't really pose much of a threat now to our way of life," Miles pointed out. "Winnie's grave is there."

"That was his doing," Winnie said. As James didn't really feel like explaining the entire thing all over again, and thinking that maybe the news of his relations would be a softer blow if Winnie was the one delivering it, he requested that she reiterate what he told her earlier. She did so with accuracy and haste combined.

"Good heavens," Mae Tuck whispered. Despite how her body never changed, she looked her age for a moment as old guilt and grief returned tenfold what they were when the murder occurred.

"Don't trouble yourself about it," James said, seriously but with a smile. "I remember my uncle. My parents would not have driven him away for some curiosity over a mysterious family. He must have been drowning in the mystery, not just dipping his feet in for fun. Things must have gotten serious."

"Very," Tuck grumbled. Winnie noticed him tightly holding Mae's shaking hand, and could not help but smile slightly.

James looked at Natasha. "I heard you are immortal, too. How'd that happen?"

Natasha briefly relayed her history. Winnie listened with no little curiosity, as she had not really spoken very much with Natasha yesterday for obvious reasons. When she got to the part about meeting Jesse, Natasha's eyes softened and she looked up at him with a brief smile. Her eyes drifted naturally down before they whipped up to meet Winnie's as though ashamed. Although Winnie could not say her heart was already mended, she shrugged a bit with a wry smile, as if to say, "It is what it is." Natasha seemed to appreciate this, although she kept her glances at Jesse and her romantic comments to a minimum now.

"In all your travels," James inquired presently, "have you all never encountered another spring with such powers?"

"Well, if we have," Jesse answered, "we wouldn't know it. The deed's already been done for us. We haven't heard of any other beings like us, although it's not like we go around advertising it."

"But there is the taste."

"Yeah, true. I know I've never run into anything like it before when I was by myself."

The rest answered the same.

"It's such a shame a supposed blessing like this had to be such a curse," James said with a touch of bitterness.

Mae sighed. "It is what it is. We find daily blessings instead. We think how amazing it is, watching the world come along, finding diseases vaccinated when they previously decimated the countryside, watching mannerisms change. We stay together even when we're apart, too, and that helps." And here her eyes laid intently on Winnie, as if saying, "I made a misjudgment last time. From now on, no matter what happens, I will keep you near me at least in heart."

Winnie appreciated this, and the future looked a bit less bleak.

Although she did not notice it, Jesse watched the appreciation and love appear in her face as she took in Mae's words, and his own lips spread into a gentle smile not unlike her own.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Bloody Skies

**Prettyinpinkgal: And now things get interesting.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting".  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER TWELVE: BLOODY SKIES  
**

The rest of the day was spent in an odd mix of uncomfortableness and peace. Everyone liked each other well enough, but there was a mysterious tension that nonetheless existed between Winnie and the Tucks and between James and Jesse. It was no longer anything painfully obvious, but it existed barely visible under the current of pleasant conversation.

As Winnie wanted to get some air-the cottage was rather overheating with so many people in at once, and the summer sun beating down through the windows-Jesse followed her soon after, with the excuse that he wanted to make sure the horses had enough water.

He found Winnie sitting in a tree, leaning against it with her eyes closed. Some light shined through the leaves and made little sun spots on her cheek. For a moment, he stood transfixed, until he quickly caught himself and felt ashamed, thinking of the love of his long life sitting with the others.

"I love this tree," Winnie said, startling him out of his guilt. Her eyes were still closed. "I've often sat up here to relax over the past thirty years. It's the easiest to climb, you know."

"Yeah," Jesse said with a brief grin. "I know. I used to climb it all the time myself in order to escape Miles."

"I remember how much he used to scare me when I was little," she laughed. "He's a sweetheart, really."

"I don't know where you got that. He's as soft as a cactus," retorted Jesse, climbing up to sit on the branch near hers.

"You just say that because you're brothers. As I understand it, siblings are supposed to get at each other's throats."

"That's family for you," Jesse sighed playfully.

"Yes. That's family."

Jesse glanced at her, but saw she did not look sad. Instead, her eyes were turned to the setting sun.

"Winnie!"

The two glanced down and saw James, who nodded briefly at Jesse in acknowledgement before turning to the girl. "I'm heading home," he said. "I'll see you later."

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Winnie asked. "I don't want to bother you if you're busy."

"Oh yes, I'm swamped. So much to do and so little time and all that." Jesse noticed he grinned quite often when he was with Winnie.

And Winnie was smiling back at him, waving chipperly. "All right, then tomorrow it is! Good night!"

"Good night. Nice meeting you, Jesse," he said politely.

"Same to you," Jesse said, a touch colder than he normally would be.

James walked off, and Jesse noticed Winnie staring at him. "What?"

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?"

"You sounded a little...not like you. Almost a little mean. Why?"

Jesse blinked. No one else would have noticed. _He _barely noticed it. So how did Winnie see right through him? Was it just because they went back so far, or...?

He didn't let himself go there. "I'm just tired."

Winnie snickered. "Oh, yes, I heard about that. You nearly slept through lunch! How could anyone still be tired after that?"

"Give me a break," he groaned. "I didn't sleep well last night, all right?"

He noticed her laughter's abrupt stop, and he saw she was looking...like her heart was aching. He opened his mouth to say something, but what could he say?

"Sorry," she said softly. "Is it my fault? I didn't mean to make everything so...complicated. I didn't realize it would be complicated at all."

"Don't apologize, Winnie," Jesse said, grabbing her hand before either of them knew what he was doing. "It was my fault. I...I was just so happy, back then. It was the first time I had been close to someone besides my family in ages. I spoke without thinking through too much. I saw a chance at hope, and I told you to drink the water before I let that hope slip away. But over the years, I convinced myself you were too smart for something like that. I'm sorry."

"Too smart," she growled, and she snatched her hand away. "I'm sorry for being so dumb then in drinking the water!"

"That's not what I meant, Winnie," he whined. She wasn't paying him any mind, though; she was already busily climbing down.

"You know what bothers me the most?" she cried once she was safely on the ground. Jesse didn't want to know. He didn't want to know how deeply he had hurt her. He was not-_rather, might not be_, his mind whispered-in love with her, but he was her dearest friend in the world, and she was his, and he did not want to be the cause of her grief.

"You didn't come back," Winnie hissed, obviously fighting herself to keep from crying. "Not once, not even to check. You know these woods like the back of your hand. If it was too soon to return to Treegap, you could have taken another route. You would have known I'd wait for you forever in this little house.

"But you didn't. You assumed that the declaration you made to a _stupid child _would be forgotten and ignored. But you knew-should have known-that you were all I had! You knew I was all alone with that family of mine! You knew I would have taken your words to heart...Good heavens, Jesse Tuck, your words sustained me through all the primming and ordering and constricting...

"Even if you didn't love me, I was fine with that. I might put up a fight sometimes, but I almost always listened to you. If you didn't love me, didn't want to marry me, I was fine with that. So long as we could travel together and be each other's friend, I would have been fine! I would've been fine if I could only be an unofficial part of the Tuck family.

"And then you met her."

Here her voice broke, and now the tears started falling. And Jesse continued to sit in the treetop, because he had no energy to climb down. He was drained, beaten, as only a man with no hope of death could be. But Winnie interpreted his distance as another way he was too far from her, and she cried all the harder. She did not even notice the wetness on Jesse's cheeks.

"I can't be part of your lives anymore. I can't be the Girl That Might've Been Part of the Tuck Clan. I can't be the awkward little burden, the unwanted, stupid girl!"

Crickets of the night were playing their songs as silence fell like a brick...no, like an ocean between the two, because Jesse still could not say a word, and Winnie felt him pulling away again.

"I might've been happy, Jesse," she said finally, her voice cracking extremely only when she came to his name. "I did care for my family, although they made me miserable back then. Perhaps they would still be alive, at least for a little longer, if I had stayed. Times changed. I wasn't patient enough. We're in the 1920s, and there's so much freedom granted to women now, much more than I thought we'd ever have, anyway. I could have been married by now, had children. Perhaps I'd be on my way to being a grandmother someday. Perhaps the life I dreaded then would have contained much happiness if I had tried to live it. Perhaps I would have married James" -she did not notice Jesse's tensing- "and we would have traveled together. He's a good man. I knew that then, and I'm more sure of it now. I do not-could not-love him, but we would have been friends. And our children...I think I would have loved them. At least, I would have showed them more love than my mother showed me.

"I disobeyed Tuck because of you, Jesse Tuck."

She was waiting for him to speak, but Jesse feared he could not. He closed his eyes, wiped them quickly, swallowed several times and hoped to God that whatever thing that popped out of his mouth would be the right thing.

"I'll still go traveling with you, if you like."

Oh, sweet merciful heavens, that was pathetic. But it wasn't as bad as he had feared.

One look from her, though, drew any future words away from his grasp. "No, I can't," she told him. "I would be a third wheel. Natasha, as kind as she is, would not like the woman in love with her hu-husband tagging along. And you wouldn't be happy, and neither would I. So I'm leaving before you all leave me alone again."

Winnie turned, walked away, and entered the Tucks'...her...home, and Jesse was distantly impressed that she had not slammed the door behind her.

He watched nighttime fall as his spirit did the same. No matter what he did, it was the wrong thing. He would hurt Natasha, or he would hurt Winnie. He couldn't toy with them, not again. If he had to hurt someone, he needed to stay consistant and not change his mind about Natasha.

But what if that was the wrong choice?

Jesse groaned, not even noticing that his bottom was getting rather sore from sitting in the tree for a few hours now.

And then he noticed the rustling.

For a moment, he felt sheer relief that he was in a tree-immortal or not, being attacked by an animal would _hurt-_and then he felt stupid, because it was only James.

James?

"What are you doing back?" he asked, but his voice trailed off. Something was wrong. Even in the darkness, he could sense it.

Quickly, Jesse slid down from the tree and looped an arm around the man, helping him inside. He didn't seem to be injured, but perhaps it was mentally...

Natasha gasped when they entered, quickly helping the pale James slide into a chair. Mae went right to getting a pot of tea ready, Miles interrogated Jesse and Tuck surveyed James in his quiet way, as if figuring out a puzzle.

Winnie entered the room. "What's wrong-James! Oh my goodness!" She flew to his side, and it was only the sight of her that brought him back from whatever cold place he had drifted off to.

"He's dead," he muttered disbelievingly before burying his face in his hands. "Walt's dead. They killed him."


	13. Chapter 13: Darkness Beyond Twilight

**Prettyinpinkgal: A few things: First, what do you think of the new summary? Also, I'm sorry I'm making Jesse such a whiney, pathetic bad guy in this story. I wish he wasn't now, but he sort of started this way in the first few chapters I wrote when I was a kid, and now I can't just change him. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter (due to the murder in the last chapter, I've bumped the rating up to T to be safe)! By the bye: Chicken and waffles? Soooo good (just in case you folks don't know. I've heard that it's more of a Pennsylvania/East Coast dish).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". Also, in order to show my outstanding level of dorkiness, "Darkness beyond twilight" is the first line in the dub for the Dragon Slave spell in the anime Slayers. (receives Honorary Dork Award)  
**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: DARKNESS BEYOND TWILIGHT  
**

Everyone stood in numb silence for a second. Then, ever the eloquent one, Jesse said embarrassedly, "Who's Walt?"

James shook his head. Winnie absently answered, "They were friends. They played cards a lot together. He's the one who...who got me all the new dresses in return for his debt being...Oh, Lord, James! Are you certain of it?"

"Of course," he said, his voice muffled through his hands.

"What do you mean by 'they killed him'? It wasn't natural? He was...murdered?" Mae asked, her face pale, no doubt, from the memories of the past as well as the miserable present.

"Start from the beginning, son," Tuck finally said. "Mae, how's that tea coming along?"

"I...oh, I think I need to sit down..."

Natasha jumped up before Winnie could even think of moving. The former led her future mother-in-law to her seat, then went to fixing up the drink.

"I was...walking back..." James finally said, now staring blankly ahead. "I saw a lot of lanterns in the town in the distance. At first, I thought it was a specter of the night. Imagine, thinking it was a ghost when Walter just...!"

"Easy there, James. Talk like it's just the facts," was Tuck's cool and collected response.

James nodded his head jerkily, his eyes still far away from them. Without thinking, Winnie went to James and laid a hand on his shoulder. Despite how slow and sluggish he had seemed a moment before, his hand automatically whipped up to cover hers tightly. Winnie did not notice that, while she did not think of helping her dear Mae, she automatically leapt up to do a small deed to try and rescue James from his own despair. If she had noticed, she would have brushed it away and thought that it was merely because Mae was shocked and recalling unpleasant things, while James was truly filled with anguish, yet the nugget of doubt would have remained, suggesting that slowly, she was finding herself moving on from the Tucks.

But, as it was, she did not think these things, and only thought of jovial Walter lying dead somewhere, the same look on his face that was on the man in the yellow suit's when he died. And she thought of how, despite the fact that all of them would outlive other people on earth, there was no comfort for James when his friend's life had been intentionally snuffed out.

"Just the facts," James repeated now, his eyes unclouding, but only slightly. "I realized it wasn't a ghost. I went over. Walt's wife Abigail was there, and she was sobbing. She looked up at me and said, 'They were demanding to know where you were. Walt told him he didn't know, and I know it was the truth, and they shot him.' And then she burst into hysterics and told me to get away before they came back for me too, and I asked her who it was...I don't even know how I had the sense to ask that. Shock, I guess. She was too far gone then, rocking back and forth, asking the crowd to find her husband, to bring him back. One of them whispered to me, 'She doesn't know he's in the morgue already. We're having the reverend pray over him. More of a Catholic thing, you know, but it's comforting nonetheless.'"

"And so here I am," James concluded monotonously, tightening his hold ever more on Winnie's shaking hand. Whether this was for his comfort or hers, she was unsure.

The tea was served, and Natasha said solemnly, "I am so very sorry, James. Stay here for the night."

Were it under any other circumstances, Winnie might have bitterly thought how much of a hostess and a member of this precious family she looked, holding a teacup in her hand while she offered the invitation. But Winnie was still only thinking of James and Walter, and so she merely agreed eagerly with the rest of the family.

"Is that all right? I don't want to bring any trouble to you."

"What could he do to us?" Jesse asked, a slight shadow of his usual grin in place. He clapped a hand on James's shoulder, holding Winnie's hand in the process, as James had let her go temporarily. She looked up at him, as if just noticing he was in the room, and his eyes said, "You may not have known him well, but I know how compassionate you can be. I know you're in pain too, even if it's not as great as James's suffering."

Winnie returned to her two thoughts, although her numbness was lifted slightly from Jesse's comforting hold on her. Was there something she could do? Anything at all? It was too late to help poor Walter, but...

"Who would do this?" Miles said now. "James, can you think of anyone who would have a grudge against you?"

"If we're talking about someone who made a large debt from playing cards, everyone knew Walter had the greatest amount owed. No one would be that desparate for their measly sums. And if they wanted to kill me, they'd just do it on our weekly game. They wouldn't go to Walter to find me. I can't think of anyone in my entire-_entire_-lifetime that would want to do something like this."

"Treegap's a small town," Winnie said quietly. "If the murderer was from there, they wouldn't need to go through Walter to find you. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Jesse asked, tightening his hold.

"Unless he's trying to get a message across. Maybe I've read too many novels over the decades, but that's what it seems to me.

"Maybe he's not trying to kill you," Winnie continued, her voice getting higher as her mind caught up with what her mouth was saying. "Maybe he was trying to get you to come forward quietly after seeing what he could do."

"But why?" James demanded, whirling around and inadvertantly causing Jesse's hand to fall away from Winnie's. "Why would they do something like that? Wait...Are you suggesting he knows about the curse?"

"It's very possible. After all, it hasn't been that long ago since we...turned. Someone might have noticed. You've been in town far longer than I have. That would explain why I'm not one of his targets. He didn't notice me; he noticed the one who's been in town consistantly for the past several months."

"Bloody...If that's the case, then he's more of a loon than that uncle of mine ever was! What would his motive be, if you're right? The spring's gone."

"Maybe he doesn't know that the way to live forever was through that water. James, I occassionally sent letters to my family's lawyer, asking him to keep it private. I made up stories about how I was living far away with my charming husband and asking for management of these woods. After my latest letter, he sent me all the paperwork. These trees will never be public property, as my supposed offspring will have it passed down to them, and then down to their grandchildren, etc. If there's any contesting about my 'family's' rights to the woods some years in the future, I'll show up and claim to be Winnifred's daughter. Or granddaughter and so forth."

"As much as I respect you for that cleverness," Natasha cut in, not unkindly, "what does that have to do with the murderer?"

"No one dared venture into Foster Forest when my parents were alive. As Foster Forest is still private property, no one goes in there. I know, although I've kept my distance from venturing too close to town for many years. So if he did think that it was from something in the forest, if he suspected the Tucks also at any point, then he would not have been able to look in here. The town's close-knit enough to call him on it. He wouldn't know about the grave over the spring, the only place that even remotely suggests the possibility of magic. And if he really didn't suspect anything except that you knew the secret to living forever, then he certainly doesn't know about that way being gone."

"We don't even know if your theory is right," James said, curt from anger and depression. "All I know for sure is that I have to find this son of a-"

"You're right," Winnie cut him off in the nick of time. "We don't know for sure. That's why I'll go into Treegap tomorrow and find out what everyone knows."

"What?" Jesse yelled. "Are you insane? You are not about to just waltz in there when a murderer could be searching for us immortals!"

Winnie nodded gravely. "Thank you for your concern, Jesse, but I'm perfect. You stirred up too much controversy thirty years ago. There may still be people around who remember. I'm not the one the murderer's looking for. Even Natasha thinks I'm clever" -she shot Natasha a brief, small, smile mixed with amusement and gratefulness- "so you must know that I'm not going to run around with a chicken with its head cut off, asking, 'Are you the murderer? Are you hunting for immortal people? Are you mad at James?' I won't make a spectacle of myself. I'll be covert."

"Still!" was Jesse's impressive argument.

"Let her go," was Mae's sudden command.

The entire company turned towards her in confusion. Even Winnie was baffled by her sudden entrance.

She was still leaning against her husband, but her eyes were open now and as alert and intense as eyes could be. "Winnie's a brave, smart girl. She'll be just fine. And how else are we to get our information?"

"Besides, it isn't like he'll kill me," Winnie said with a obviously forced laugh. She left James for a moment to kiss Mae on the cheek. "Thank you for believing in me. I promise I'll make you proud."

Mae kissed her back, whispering, "I wish you could be my daughter too."

A little bit of her now-familiar ache came back, knocking at her heart's door, but Winnie tried to shoo it away, as enough anguish was in there for the moment, thank you. Instead, she only hugged the woman she once hoped would be her mother and told her thank you from the bottom of her heart.

"Be careful, Winnie," Tuck said, and Miles commented, "Try pulling your hair up. Wear one of those modern dresses you got. Look different than how you looked yesterday. Try to throw off their memories."

Jesse grumbled, "I still wish I could go with you."

"You'd mess everything up," Winnie answered truthfully. "But thanks."

Natasha surprised her with a hug. "Even if he can't kill you, he might still hurt you. Please be careful. What's your favorite dish?"

This last comment threw Winnie through a loop. "Um, what? Well, er, I've been craving chicken and waffles lately. Why?"

"I'll make it for you tomorrow, so be home promptly by six o'clock. If you're not there, then we'll send out a search party for you an hour later."

Thinking of Jesse's always-present appetite, Winnie couldn't help but think Natasha would make a good wife for him, it's true. But she was also immensely touched by the continual friendship Natasha was striving to make with her, so Winnie hugged her tightly and thanked her as well.

She turned to James, who was staring at her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, dreading the answer.

He shook his head, then stared at her again. "I was just thinking that I broke so easily over this, despite how callous I felt myself growing over the years, yet you're really seventeen, despite the years, but somehow you've become the strongest person, male or female, I've ever met. I can't thank you enough."

Winnie felt her cheeks pinken under this praise. "I'm a little more than you thought I was the day in my father's sitting room, then?"

"You're ten thousand times the person I thought you were," was his reply. Knowing that James had already had a fairly favorable opinion of her then, Winnie felt the compliment accutely.

They soon retired to bed, although most could not sleep well. Winnie, miraculously, could, as tomorrow would be a big day for her, both in walking her own path for once and in finding Walter's killer.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Morning to Night I

**Prettyinpinkgal: Enjoy Chapter Fourteen!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART I**

Perhaps if Winnie had continued to have the self-possession which allowed her to make her volunteer for the seemingly simple but so very tricky task, our story would have a different ending.

Perhaps if Jesse had come along...

Perhaps if James had gone by himself...

Perhaps if they had run...

As it was, "what ifs" had no place in Winnie's immortal, resolute life now. If they did, she would be plagued by questions of "What if I hadn't drunk the water?" every moment instead of every other minute.

And so, it is of no real importance of what could have happened. All that matters is that Winnie Foster was abducted by the killer.

* * *

Winnie woke up that morning feeling refreshed, but now that everything seemed slightly less surreal, her nerves were not as collected as they were yesterday. Her brush trembled slightly as she ran it through her hair, barely able to work out the knots.

"Are you going now?"

Winnie turned and nodded with a nervous laugh. "Wish me luck? Somehow, the thought that he can't kill me is not much of a comfort."

"He can still hurt you. Please do be careful."

Winnie buried her head in her hands. "I can't back down after all the fuss I made last night, can I?"

"Of course you can!" Natasha jumped up and ran to her, taking her hands tightly. "No one would blame you. There is no point in putting yourself in harm's way."

Winnie looked up at her. "I don't understand."

"What? Of course no one would resent your decision-"

"Ah, no, not about that. I meant about how you're always so good to me. You should hate me. Sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly upset, I...sometimes loathe you. So you should especially hate me, and all the time, too."

Natasha looked away for a moment. "I became immortal long before you or Jesse did. I grew accustomed to my unending life, living all on my own. And then I met Jesse. It was as if... How do I put it...You know how when you wake up and it's a cloudy day, the room's dark but you think it's light because it's brighter than it was at night? Then suddenly the clouds part, and the sun shines in and you think, 'Oh, it must have been the edge of a storm.' You don't always fully realize when it's so dark. That's how it was with me. I grew so used to how things were that when he entered my life, he felt like a bright ray of sunshine. And as soon as I thought he was going to leave me alone back then, I realized I couldn't let him go. I couldn't go back into that darkness again."

Natasha turned back to Winnie. "So you see, I'm just selfish. And I understand needing to hold onto Jesse. Although," she admitted with a self-conscious chuckle, "I must confess that when I was alone, or I saw Jesse give you a special look, I wanted to smack you. Only sometimes!" she quickly emphasized, which did make Winnie smile genuinely.

"I understand. Wait...what look?"

Natasha looked like she didn't want to say, yet for some reason unknown to Winnie, she talked anyway. "He looks at you like you're the only woman in the room, sometimes. Like you're his fiancee. He smiles when you smile. If you're in danger, he protests more unreasonably than he would if it were someone else."

"Are you sure you're not imagining it?" Winnie said, desparate to believe her words yet unwilling to at the same time.

"Yes, I'm sure. Because it's the same look he always gives me."

Winnie blushed with a mix of shame and a pinch of pleasure, and Natasha beamed. "Good. Diversion complete!"

"W-what?"

"Well, I figured I should try and distract you, seeing as you were so nervous before. From the look on your face, I was successful."

"I...what?"

"I certainly couldn't bring myself to answer it under normal situations! By telling myself, 'It's only to distract Winnie, so I might as well tell the truth,' I managed to come out with it. Otherwise, I would have let myself drown in fears of you stealing Jesse away from me and never said a word!"

"I already told you I won't steal him," Winnie said, blushing all the harder as she covered her face again.

"I know you won't intentionally. I know you're honorable. I wouldn't be much surprised if Jesse called off our engagement though," Natasha added softly.

"Sorry, you were whispering. What was that last part?"

"Nothing. Would you like me to make you some breakfast before you go?"

With exaggerated haughtiness, Winnie replied, "I'll have you know I've lived here for thirty years without anyone to cook for me but myself." A smile blossomed on her face teasingly as she waved her hand and said, "I think I'll manage. Feel free to go back to sleep. Dawn's only just broken."

"All right, although I doubt I could really sleep." Natasha hugged Winnie quickly before bounding off to the bed. "I hope you're successful."

"As do I," Winnie murmured before she began pulling out which dress to wear for the day.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Morning to Night II

**Prettyinpinkgal: Could it be...this story might be done by the end of this month? In other news I stumbled on the fact that "Judas Priest" was used in the '40s, but why not have it in the '20s too? I mean, it's not like having Jesse forget Winnie made any sense, or having immortal people in general does, so we can scrape by with a continuity issue, right? ...Mostly because it sounded fun and I wanted to use it just once.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART II**

The miles seemed to pass far too quickly. Winnie, lost in her thoughts and trembling with the knowledge that once again swept through her-Walter, a fairly young man and husband, whom she had spoken to not long ago, was dead, killed, murdered-found herself in Treegap suddenly, without knowing how she had arrived there. The sun was much higher in the sky, so it must have taken her at least an hour or so, yet it seemed as though it were only a few minutes.

She was wearing one of the modern outfits Walter, rest his soul, had insisted she take. Her hair was neatly pulled back so that it appeared more like a bob beneath her hat. Her flapper dress disconcerted her, but she told herself repeatedly, "You are not Winnie Foster right now."

Unlike the day before, she was more involved with the townspeople. The girls gushed over her dress-Walter had done well to pick that dress as part of his payment for his debt-and she replied just as airily over how nice their hair was, and where had they gotten that particular purse? It seemed girls in this era were not very different from those from her own old life.

Because some of these girls were quite the chatterboxes and she needed to blend in as well as possible, it took some time to tour the town like one who had never been there before, and as a result she only arrived near Walter's shop much later than she had originally imagined.

Some sheriffs were about, investigating. Winnie feigned shock at the sight of them there. "Oh my, what's happened here?" she cried, addressing an officer the closest to her.

He shook his head dismally. "Foul play, I suspect. Ah, but you really shouldn't trouble yourself, miss. You'd best just get along home. Young ladies don't need to be exposed to this sort of thing."

Apparently, times had not changed as much as Winnie had thought. Her eyebrow twitched just slightly at his comment, but otherwise maintained her facade.

"Oh my! No, please do tell me. Fear of the unknown is so much more frightening than the known," she whimpered, rather tempted to slap herself.

The officer, who was probably twenty years older than Winnie (age-wise, not in actual years), gulped and looked exceedingly uncomfortable by her presence, although Winnie was not entirely sure why he was so nervous about divulging what happened when most of the town probably knew by now anyway. She, fortunately or otherwise, was unaware that despite her best efforts her acting did appear slightly forced, just enough so to make it appear like she was flirting rather than attempting to dig into the mystery.

"Er," was the brilliant statement he came up with before clearing his throat one, two, three times. For better or worse, his slight attraction and deep discomfort made his tongue difficult to wield, and the story stumbled out of his mouth without a bit of restraint, despite being more aware of the young lady's femininity than ever. "Well, Walter here was most likely murdered. I doubt he could chop himself into pieces himself, and I doubted someone tripped with a knife in their hands. I mean, Walter was a pretty thickly-built guy. Oh, Judas Priest! Look how pale you've gotten! Forgive me, miss."

"I'm fine!" was her immediate response, made slightly sharp from trying to recollect herself. Her frown softened, and her big eyes blinked frantically to keep tears at bay, which only enhanced her loveliness to the officer. "Oh my" -this was quickly becoming her favorite and most exhausted saying when acting- "I do hope you catch the murderer! Have you any leads yet?"

"Not yet!" the officer replied, his voice cracking despite leaving puberty over two decades ago. "We've no idea. The misses is upstairs crying her heart out. Half-mad with grief. She witnessed the thing, you know. Probably would have been next if Walter's and Marion's screams hadn't woken up all their neighbors."

"Do you think it would do any good if I talked to her? I'd hate to be a bother, but..."

"No one would ever think you're a bother, miss!" he cried. "Go ahead and take yourself inside. I'm sure a fresh face is exactly what she needs. Too many relatives and friends are about, and the fact that they're all so close to her is hurting her even more. That's what her sister told me, anyway. She's trying to force everyone out now. She's considerate, that one. Personally, if I saw my significant other murdered so gruesomely in front of me, well, I'd want all the comfort I can get, even if that is unmanly, but then again I never professed to understand women-"

"Thank you very much, sir," Winnie said with a quick bob as she darted up the steps, nearly getting run over by a herd of compassionate relatives and acquaintances, although a few who had a greater pride than heart or who were more distantly related to Marion and Walter cried, "Why, I've never been handled so rudely in my life! That's gratitute for you."

One particularly obnoxious girl, who had come with her father and mother, said, "_Now _where will I get my best dresses?" Winnie nearly took off her nice gloves in order to claw that priss's face, but luckily her mother quenched the urge by boxing her daughter's ears herself, making her start wailing delightfully.

"Who're you?" one woman said to Winnie, evidentally the sister the officer had mentioned before. "You're not Marion's friend."

"I'm not. The officer over there told me what happened, and I was wondering if I might speak to your sister a little bit."

The sister's frown deepened. "Oh, he did, did he?" Winnie stood awkwardly, unsure whether to continue using her airy front or to behave like a rational person, while the woman surveyed her.

"You're not about to start strange stories and rumors about her to your friends, will you?" the sister finally said.

"Oh, no, ma'am! I hardly know anyone here."

"I believe it. I knew I hadn't seen you before. I'm Beatrice. It might help if you take some tea up to her now. The doctor gave her some pills to take to help her sleep. They should be right on the tray. Say, what's your opinion on all this?"

"No one would have to suffer this way," Winnie answered truthfully. "It was a wicked, unforgivable thing. With any luck, the murderer will be caught soon. He'd better be hanged...No, someone should do the same thing to him as he did to Walter."

Beatrice's stony face softened to a weary smile. "Yes, you'll do. The others simply babbled on and sobbed like idiots. We all want to cry, but we can't, not yet. Only Marion has that right. The rest of us shouldn't show our misery so openly when there's a murderer in our midst. You answered with conviction and heart, though, and I applaud you for that. Now come on, get that tea. I'll be checking the pot roast."

Moments later, Winnie was upstairs knocking on the door to what Beatrice had told her was the master bedroom.

She heard no reply, and with impressive agility for one who had never been required to carry a tray in her life, she balanced the set in one hand while she used the other to open the door. Then a new problem presented itself: The room was completely dark. Not one ounce of sunshine was permitted into the room, and Winnie almost felt as if she would fall of the earth if she entered it.

"Who are you?"

Winnie turned and squinted, barely making out the outline of a bed. As she opened the door a little wider, some more light from the hallway allowed her to see a woman lying in bed.

"Marion? I'm Wi-Wendy. I'm visiting from out of town, and I heard about what happened...Here, I brought your tea and your medicine." She held it up almost questioningly.

"Lay it somewhere. I'll get to it later."

Winnie eyed the nightstand by her bed, refusing to even blink for fear that she would lose it in the darkness. Once the tray was safely down, she turned the gas light on-someone still used those? Winnie had supposed everyone used electricity these days-just a little to see the widow's face.

Not surprisingly, her face was worn and grave and her eyes absently staring at the ceiling. Her cheeks showed evidence of having been soaked in tears not long ago, but they were free of fresh drops for the moment, no doubt because the poor dear had cried herself out. Winnie felt a lump rise in her throat, and her lips trembled, but Beatrice's stern lecture regarding crying reminded her to stay strong and brave.

Slowly, she reached over and laid her own hand on the woman's. "What can I do to help?" she asked.

"Kill him. Kill him, kill him, kill him..." she started saying in a sing-song voice, her head rolling from side to side on the pillow.

Winnie sat there, still holding the hand, unsure of what to do. She had planned to extricate information from Marion, as well as be of some service to her, but the widow seemed to be on the brink of going mad. Her fear and previous hysteria had no doubt prevented her from giving the killer's identity to the police, despite apparently witnessing the entire bloody thing. If someone questioned her again, what if she fell into insanity? The woman had suffered enough already. Yes, Winnie decided, she needed to find some other way of finding out the identity of the sick lunatic who was capable of such monstrosity-especially when it was intended to be but a message to someone else.

That would require spending many days in Treegap. She needed to observe people and their actions, and, having luckily never been one to fall for false smiles, she hoped she would be successful.

For now, though, she would focus on helping Marion recover from her ordeal.

"Marion, let's have some tea together, shall we? Look, I brought a cup for me, too."

Marion stopped her song and stared unfocusedly at Winnie. "I don't want my pills yet."

"That's just fine. I'll set them right here for you when you want them a little later. Does that sound all right?"

"Fine. You knew Walt, didn't you?"

This sudden question made Winnie jump slightly, nearly dropping the teapot. "What makes you say that?"

"That's our dress. I don't like it. Too improper. But I'm old-fashioned. That's why I told Walter to work on the women's clothes as well as then men's, and I'd take care of the household and help out with manning the register."

"I don't like this dress all that much either, it's not my style. But don't let the other girls in town know it; they seemed to adore it and might think I'm just rude." Winnie grinned broadly, much broader than she felt like, but she hoped that any little effort would make Marion's spirits rise.

"When did you buy it?"

Winnie paused. "Yesterday morning. I was with your friend James."

She waited for some sort of relapse. The words "yesterday" and "James" seemed taboo, and yet only a few minutes into her conversation with Marion, she'd already uttered them.

To her surprise, Marion only became a little more alert. "Yes, I remember. Walter danced me around the room, telling me how he only needed to pay off his debt by giving a friend of Jim's some outfits. He said that now that we didn't need to worry about the finances as much, we should go away on vacation..." Her voice trailed away, and tears streamed down quietly from her lost gaze. "Wendy, what am I going to do without Walter? How could anyone...? And what did he want with Jim?"

Torn between wanting to comfort and wanting information, she bit the bullet. Sliding just a little closer, she said, "What _did _that awful man want with James?"

"He said he wanted...He said he wanted to play with one who cheated. I don't know what he means by that. Jim would never, ever cheat at cards, would he? He was clever, and that's how he beat my dear, loving husband all the time, God rest his soul!"

"No, he is honorable," Winnie said absently. "One who cheated". One who cheated death?

In came Beatrice, just as they were finally getting somewhere. Winnie refrained from showing her disappointment, however.

"Food's ready," Beatrice said almost cooingly to her sister. "I'm glad you didn't take your pills. It would have taken a train to wake you up!"

"I want Walter," Marion said tearfully, almost like a child.

"I know, dear, but...Well, the reverend will perform the ceremony in two days' time, and we need you to be well enough for that."

Marion's pupils seemed to shrink terribly before Winnie's eyes. "Re...reverend...Ceremony...?"

"Yes, dear, the funeral. Walter wouldn't like to see you wasting away."

"W-Walter...Walter, get _away_ from him! Reverend! _Reverend_!"

Marion burst into hysterics and Beatrice quickly told Winnie, "I'll make her have her pills now. It'd be best if you get going now! Thank you!"

Winnie stood up jerkily and shakily. "Y-yes, thank you! I-I'll see you some o-other time, Marion!"

Nearly knocking over the tea tray in her hurry out, Winnie again repeated her adieus before fairly flying out of the room, and then the house. She did not stop running until she was several blocks away, in the quiet edge of town where there was virtually no one to be seen. There, she wrapped her arms around a lamppost and breathed in wrasping gasps of air.

She thought of the pleasant gentleman in the cemetary, commenting on the essence of death.

It couldn't be...Marion couldn't mean that the reverand had butchered her husband so hatefully...? Surely she was just afraid of the prospect of her husband being dead, and she was shocked at the word "reverand" because it meant a burial, right?

"Miss Foster, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'll be fine in just a moment, thank you," Winnie replied shakily, her eyes closed as the cold sweat dripped off her brow.

"Well, I can't let you get to that moment then, can I?"

In broad daylight, a hand whipped out from the nearby alley and dragged her in before she could grasp the situation. It was there that Winnie was knocked unconscious.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Morning to Night III

**Prettyinpinkgal: It's always the reverend/priest/etc. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART III**

Jesse paced about the room, glancing irritably at the clock. It was ten minutes till six, and still no sign of Winnie. Dinner was almost ready, the table was set, but these normalcies did nothing to quench everyone's fear.

"Maybe she found something," he muttered. "Maybe she found a lead and didn't want to let it go yet."

"I shouldn't have let her get involved in this," James groaned. "If something happens to her, too..."

"You're right, you shouldn't have," James hissed, whirling on him. "This guy was after you, right? He didn't mention the rest of us!"

"Jesse Tuck!" Mae bellowed. "You'll sit yourself in that chair and keep your overactive mouth shut! I have half a mind to slap you for such a comment! Did you forget what happened when we first met Winnie? We kidnapped her! She was fairly willing to be, I admit, but that's the sort of girl she is. She takes the trouble that comes her way almost in stride. Winnie decided this herself. No need blaming others, except the monster who caused all this."

A slight pressure on his shoulder startled him into looking at his fiancee. His stormy expression faded a little, and he felt slightly comforted.

But he did not crave her touch as much as he had craved Winnie's as he held her hand the night before, amazed at how petite her hand was despite being able to handle so much.

This realization disturbed him greatly, so he forced his mind to focus on more pressing matters.

The clock chimed. It was the deadline. Winnie was not back yet.

"We told her we'd wait an hour before sending out a search party," Miles said. "As much as we all want to run out that door right now, we should make a plan first."

"Agreed," Tuck said. "And that's why I brought this." He pulled out a map of Foster Forest and Treegap.

The rest of the hour was spent discussing what to focus on. As Winnie had not been able to disclose to them all the clues and growing evidence she was finding, they were at a loss as to who was responsible for her disappearance, if he had taken her at all. As Foster Forest was a great, massive thing, spreading across miles and miles, they decided to save it for last. Also, they figured that, if Winnie's logic from last night held true, the killer would not have gone into these woods. Furthermore, Winnie knew this forest like the back of her hand. If she was conscious, she could most likely easily break away and flee, leaving the killer disoriented alone in the darkening land.

For now, they would put their focus on Treegap. The women and Tuck, as he was not as fast as he used to be and it would be good for the ladies to have protection, would stay behind in case Winnie came back. Regardless of results, everyone would meet back in the cottage by nightfall. If someone was missing, they would go to the area he was focusing on and look about.

They would try to avoid using the police unless it proved absolutely necessary. It would simply lead to too many questions such as her identity and age and where she was from-where all of them were from, really-and what with their issues in the past with the authorities, they would like to avoid that issue if possible. If they found out Winnie really had been abducted by the killer, though, then they would bite the bullet and bring in the assistance of the law enforcement team.

The clock chimed again, this time alerting them that it was seven o'clock. Miles, James, and Jesse headed out, ready to examine their assigned selections of the town and find their missing friend.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Morning to Night IV

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm starting to worry that this plot is extremely contrived. Well, I suppose it's better than having virtually no plot at all like I struggled with when I started this story half a decade ago... Well, in any case, please drop a review and let me know if you're enjoying this story still. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART IV**

Winnie listened to the crackling sound for several moments before it occurred to her that it was a fire. She did not open her eyes to check. She had been awake for a few minutes now, but her head ached terribly and her eyes were heavy. Furthermore, there was something inside her saying, "Do not wake. Not yet. Pull yourself together."

Why should she pull herself together? Was she not in the Tucks' cottage?

She listened to the little voice in her head, though, and tried to breathe in deeply and slowly. That's right, James was now staying with them too. Why was that?

She shifted slightly, not enough to insinuate that she was awake. She felt as if she couldn't move that much, anyway: the throbbing roared when she had moved even that little inch. This was strange. She almost never had migraines.

She shifted again, feeling her dress, which felt more close-fitting than usual, slide across her skin. And she didn't think she felt any clothing around her ankles. This was strange as well. Her dresses rarely rose above the ankle...

She got it from Walter, she suddenly realized. Walter, who was murdered brutally. She had gone to town to investigate and speak with his wife, who was nearly mad. She had been knocked out.

Suddenly the concern she felt regarding waking up made complete sense. The attacker-the reverand?-was nearby. She had to think this through carefully.

It would be much easier to make her escape if only she could open her eyes, even briefly. If she could only see where she was, if only for a moment, she could throw herself through the nearest exit and escape.

But if the killer was watching her-and this thought disturbed her to no end-then the moment she opened her eyes, he would be prepared to grab her.

Her decision was taken graciously out of her hands. Before she could utter more than a squeak, her face was suddenly grabbed and slapped several times.

"I've been waiting long enough now. Wakey-wakey."

He let her go, and she crumpled onto the bed, shaking and feeling a part of her cheek bleeding. Her eyes were opened now, and there stood the reverand, smiling serenely at her.

"Good morning, child," he said.

"W-why are you doing this?" she gasped, willing herself not to cry.

"I've been following you ever since you started talking to those chits this morning."

For so long? Winnie slowly sat up and leaned against the wall, arms wrapped around herself.

The reverand began pacing the room. "It was only after you and James Kendel left the cemetary that I put two and two together and realized you were the two young people who disappeared nearly thirty years ago. I'd heard stories about the immortals from James's uncle, you see, long ago. And you were looking so different today, I could easily guess that you were trying to find out who was after your little friend. I knew if I came looking for both of you at once, you two could easily run. If it was just one name I'd mentioned, the other would do their best to protect their friend."

That was one comfort, at least: He only knew of Winnie and James. He did not know, for a fact at least, that the Tucks and Natasha were back.

"If you're trying to get our attention to ask us where the way to immortality is, it's gone now," she said, her voice shaking greatly to her immense shame and self-reproach.

"I don't care about that. Besides, I'm past my prime anyway. Why should I like to stay this age always?"

"The money, then? You're planning on making spectacles of us?"

The reverand's eyes widened dreadfully. "Don't be stupid, child. I'm getting my revenge on you."

Winnie shrank back even more, as if trying to become the wall. "What revenge? I don't understand," she whispered.

"My wife died ten years ago. She was perfect, always considerate of others, but she came down with an incurable illness and died. So why, why should you selfish little brats take eternal life when my Patricia could not have it with me?"

Noticing the vein throbbing in his forehead, she quickly said, "I'm very sorry for you loss, but, ah, that's the natural order of life and everything. It's...it's a wheel, you see?" She drew her hand in frantic circles, adding, "And, um, well, my friend can describe it better, but, ah, trust me, I hate being immortal. It's depressing and I became timeless for a stupid reason and now I'm stuck and trust me, it's not as nice as one thinks. And aren't you a reverand? Your wife has eternal life in heaven, you know!"

"Yes, that is my consolation. But she was forced to leave me nonetheless. Yes, that's right, she was obeying God...whereas you two have committed a most deplorable sin."

The man was clearly mad. His reasons kept changing. It wasn't as if killing them would bring his wife back...

"Even if you think you're right in hurting us," Winnie cried, "there is no excuse for what you did to poor Walter."

"It's all in God's plan."

"You think God condones your behavior?" she shrieked, feeling on the verge of hysterics.

"Of course. I am doing His Will. The ends justify the means."

Winnie snarled, "Now you're just mixing in Machiavelli. I went to church very little-my grandmother was always too ill to go so far-but I saw you in town on occassion. You seemed like a good, sensible man back then. What you're doing now...it's outrageous!"

"You're panicking," he said with a giddy smile. "Good. You should fear me."

She saw the door showing just on the other side of the room. It was a large room though-she realized she was within the church, and the fire burning was made by the wooden cross which once hung meaningfully high upon the wall-and it would take her a great deal of time to get over there.

Wait...the cross was burning? In her state, she could only really register and focus on one thing at a time.

Her eyes darted to the side and saw he had essentially made a bonfire. There was enough precaution taken to prevent it from burning the building down, but if he kicked it slightly over...

...everything would go up in flames.

"You're going to kill yourself?" Winnie breathed.

"Later. After I've punished you two sufficiently. But let's-"

Winnie couldn't take it anymore. She flew up and away, faintly grateful that she didn't need to worry about tripping on her dress. But with alarming speed, he grabbed her hair and threw her against the pulpit, causing her head to drip with blood and for her migraine, which had started to fade slightly, to roar up again like a vengeful creature.

Before she could gather her wits again, he yanked her again, this time to tie her hands behind her back and her feet together. Such strength could not belong to a man in his sixties naturally; he had to be beyond all feeling of strain and pain.

"Why didn't you try and give me my punishment earlier?" she gasped out, begging her mind to start working again and deciding to start with this somewhat pointless question.

His mad grin grew ever wider. "Why, I couldn't have you _unconscious _for it, could I?"

While Winnie trembled and prayed to God that He would strike this madman dead, the reverand disappeared for a moment. She found another comfort: It was dark outside, and clearly past six o'clock. The others had to be looking for her now. The reverand was strong, but the others no doubt could stop him if he was...

"Unarmed," her lips moved just barely to mouth as the reverand stepped into view again. The pale moonlight made the thing in his hands glint menacingly.

"Now, let's have some fun, shall we?"

Winnie's screams seemed to echo throughout the world, but the church was remote.

Only a frog hopped by, pausing to hear the shrieks before going on its way.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Morning to Night V

**Prettyinpinkgal: To be honest, I'm a little disturbed myself. I think one can safely say that in the past few chapters, snot hit the fan. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: MORNING TO NIGHT, PART V**

"Nothing," Jesse growled. "Not a single trace of her in my zone! I was banging on everyone's door two hours in, asking if anyone had seen her, and no one!"

"I miss the old Treegap," Miles growled. "Much smaller and easier to handle."

Natasha clenched her fists. "Isn't there anything we can do? James, did you hear anything?"

"Only that some girls loved her dress. Besides that, nothing."

"For heaven's sake!"

This exclamation came from Tuck, and this fact disturbed the group so much that they all began talking on top of each other, yelling that they needed to check the other towns, that surely she was in the forest, that obviously one of the townsfolk lied and they needed to go through Treegap once again...

"Wait!" Jesse suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention grudgingly towards him. In his hands was the map of Treegap. "We missed it, because it's pretty far out of town, but look: There's the church. It couldn't hurt to check."

"I'll see if I can find when the next train tickets out of Treegap are," volunteered Miles. "You two can go check out the church."

Under less desparate circumstances, Jesse and James might have argued with this decision, but today they agreed without a second thought. Petty jealousies were set aside under the single goal of finding Winnie, which might also come with a satisfactory revenge on the killer.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Broken

**Prettyinpinkgal: We're nearly done!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: BROKEN**

Miles also agreed to pick find the authorities after he checked and jotted down the train schedule, and James and Jesse rushed off towards the other side of town. Even though it was a many-mile journey, they flew through with only one thought in their mind. They never once spoke to each other, not even to discuss a plan. All they knew was that if Winnie was there, they'd save her, and if the killer was there as well, they'd kill him. Simple.

To be honest, they'd be less concerned if she could die. Death appeared not as a robber, but as a long-lost friend to the eternally young men. If she could enter that sweet sleep, at least she would not have to suffer.

But if the kidnapper kept her, and she was still alive...

Down they flew, through the windy paths and over a brook and ignoring the mosquitos and other insects of the night. At one point they nearly ran over a frog, but it undauntedly stared at them, as if to say, "Well, that was awfully rude of you" as they swept by without so much as a stumble.

If this was another false hope, they didn't know what they'd do.

Soon, even with their tunnel vision, they realized that there was a faint smokey smell in the atmosphere.

Indeed, moments later, their eyes began watering due to the smoke the wind was blowing their way.

"Something strange is going on!" Jesse gasped, the first time he'd spoken in perhaps an hour.

James coughed slightly as they hurried up a hill. "I don't even want to know what he did to her..."

They reached the crest of the hill and saw the church, a lovely if not small marvel, the baby of the Treegap community when the town consisted of but a few families, engulfed in flames.

They heard no screams.

The men said no more. They easily knocked the door over, and James quickly moved it aside in a moment of smart thinking, for fear that it too would become covered with flames and prevent their exit. Meanwhile, Jesse screamed out Winnie's name, searching the pews for the woman. With no little trepedition, he eyed the spots with the most flames, breathing out a sigh of relief each time there appeared to be no body in its midst.

Within the past twenty-four hours, he was finally beginning to see how much Winnie meant to him. The truth was, all this time he had been trying to decide who would be hurt less if he turned them down, Natasha or Winnie. Then, perhaps on a subconscious level, he attempted to compare the girls' characters and decide who was "better".

Really, though, they were both so incredibly sweet and funny and dear.

But it wasn't a matter of simple logic like that. The heart does not always make sense, and so Jesse came to the conclusion subconscously as he tried to find his friend of nearly forty years that while Natasha owned some of his heart, Winnie owned it all.

The moment he had been dreading came. An outline of a body crumpled appeared, but...no, it was a man. He could not make out much else. But as the fire danced on top of the man victoriously, the conquered did not stir. He was dead.

Jesse did not bother pulling him out but continued on his way. The smoke made him choke on the very air, and while he could not die of it, it did not excuse the fact that he could still pass out from it. From far away, he heard James say, "I'll start at the back of the church!" and rush past him, but he was too intent on his search to pay much mind. They needed to hurry out of here...

"_Winnie_!"

It was not the cry of one trying to find her. It was the cry of one who felt a mixture of victoriousness and pure horror.

There she lay, unconscious yet, of course, alive, but only in the most basic sense of the word.

She had not yet been burned, but her clothes were torn and her skin was scarred terribly. Already, the miraculous curse was working and had healed most of her wounds. But some were gaping open, and one could see blood oozing from them disturbingly.

Jesse had not been the one to find her. James was. The latter delicately wrapped his suit jacket around the battered woman-child and cradled her to him before Jesse could make it to them.

Creaking was heard over the crackling, and the men exchanged looks. As quickly as possible, they ran for their escape, with Jesse kicking away debris and James trying not to jostle Winnie too much.

They did not stop running until they were several hundred yards away. Then they fell-or at least Jesse fell; James was courteous enough to gently lie Winnie on the soft dew-covered grass before collapsing himself.

The sky was clouded with smoke, but after taking several minutes sputtering and hacking, they eventually recovered, as the wind was driving the smoke away from their direction. Regaining their strength, James told his companion to find Miles and let him know that they found Winnie, and that the police did not need to be involved.

"In the meantime, I'll take Winnie back to the cottage. Even with the magic, she still needs to be taken care of."

Jesse found a smidge of his old selfishness again and said a little lightly, "You've already carried her all this way. I'll take her home. You can find Miles."

It was then that he noticed James had been stroking Winnie's forehead, brushing away strands of hair with a trembling hand.

"That's all right," James finally said. "I'll take her."

Although he had to be exhausted, he stood and lifted Winnie. Her head nestled naturally under his head as he started walking. Jesse watched them for only a minute before looking away, squeezing his eyes shut and muttering a curse under his breath.

"Jesse!"

His head whipped up.

"Did you find the b-?"

Jesse glanced at Winnie at the use of the word but wryly realized that a lady really wasn't entirely "present". "I think we can smell him."

James's expression turned stormy. "Judas Priest. I was looking forward to killing him myself."

Jesse could smile at this, a smile which showed all his hatred and frustration. "I could say the same," he said, once again looking at Winnie's bloody body.

James went back on his way, and Jesse realized he should probably get up as well. He took a final glance at the church, which was now toppling. Then he slowly made his way towards town as dawn broke.

He stopped Miles in what Jesse assumed was only him pacing with indecisiveness just outside of the police station. "Don't go in there. We found Winnie and that son of a gun is dead."

Miles looked at him with a mixture of gladness and a strange look of humor. "Jesse," he chuckled a little helplessly. "You're always late. Late on getting out of bed, late on finding Winnie after she turned seventeen, and now this."

"What do you mean?" Jesse said in a low voice, dreading the answer.

"I'm just waiting for them to grab the proper paperwork for a missing person's notice. They already know she's gone."

Jesse's face fell. Then a chuckle fell out of his lips. "Then we have to move again, I guess. Maybe we can have a reunion another thirty years from now."

Miles groaned. "I'll let them know we found her, but they still know that she responds to Winnie Foster. I got away with telling them that she's the original Winifred's daughter, but..."

"It's still too risky," Jesse finished. "We really do need to leave again. And since we got here it's just been nothing but craziness." He ran a hand through his hair irritably, feeling the singed spots.

"How is Winnie doing, anyway?" Miles asked quietly.

"She'll be fine. The wounds were healing nicely when we got there, but she still looks bad. I can just imagine what they were like before..." He looked resentfully at the rising sun, as if hating that it was bringing light to this day when another light was nearly extinguished.

"I'll be there as soon as I talk to the department chief again. I'll see you back there."

"Sounds good."

Jesse turned to walk away.

"Jesse!"

He looked back at his brother, who stood with a sympathetic but resolute expression on his face.

"Don't you dare toy with her. Especially not now while she's recovering."

"Stay away from her unless you want her to get the wrong idea" was what he meant. Jesse knew this, and so he nodded solemnly.

"I swear, I won't ever hurt her again," he vowed, then made his exit, feeling that every step towards home felt like he was stepping on his own heart.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Start

**Prettyinpinkgal: FINAL CHAPTER! But remember, folks, there will be an alternative ending posted shortly after this one! Stay tuned, and please drop a review as to how you liked the story! I realize it was very messy and irksome and had original characters (which, unless well done, I personally always hate, so I know this can be a deal-breaker for some) and took nearly SIX YEARS to finish...but I hope you enjoyed the bumpy ride, haha! **

**I****n all seriousness, though, I truly appreciate your support. Your kind words over the years have helped me develop has an author, especially in my early years here on FanFiction[dot]net. For a kid just starting to post her work on the Internet, you all were so encouraging and kind, even though, looking back, I had so many pitfalls in my writing. God bless, and thank you. I hope I can continue to mature as a writer and make you all proud. Special thanks go to Leena Lionheart and Superkawaiifreak, who left reviews after this story started up again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". **

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**CHAPTER TWENTY: START**

The eternal songs of the birds greeted the Tuck and Foster household. A long fortnight had passed since the dramatic evening in the church, and Winnie had managed to overcome the trauma and told her friends what happened a week ago.

After skimming the part with the abuse-it was not stabbing always; most if it, cruelly enough, was slow and painful cutting, careful carving and slicing, but it was never deep enough to actually cut off a limb-she tremblingly said, "He occasionally stopped and gave me a chance to recover before starting again. He didn't want me to pass out again, I suppose. He was waiting for James to show up. I think I did pass out for a moment, but the thought occurred to me that if I found a way to stop him before all of you showed up...But I didn't know how. I had almost no strength."

She paused, crying silently, but she refused all moves for comfort. "I've had enough coddling enough this week, thank you. Anyway, the rope had been cut slightly I found that there was a spot that was particularly worn. I picked at it while I continued to pretend to be asleep. At one point he picked me up and started hitting me to wake me up." A bitter smile reached her lips. "I must say, I impresed myself. I had no idea I was such a talented actress. I pretended I was still asleep, and he left me alone after that. Then he started muttering something about finding James himself, but he might come and rescue me as soon as he was gone."

Winnie finally managed to get rid of the rope around her wrists and dared to look up. The reverend was tending to the fire, trying to prevent it from spreading too far. Apparently, the precautions he took with the rocks and such were failing him after so long.

"So you knocked him into the fire?" Jesse asked.

"Close. I taught him a lesson with the Word of God."

She chucked the Bible, which lay near the pulpet above her head, with her remaining strength and knocked a hole to allow the fire to spread. It spread quickly, and the reverend became badly burned in that initial blow. He was trying to escape when he finally died. As soon as she witnessed it and saw he would hurt no one again, Winnie willingly passed out again.

"Dear God, Winnie," Mae breathed. She did not embrace the woman like she wanted to, but Winnie did allow her to hold her hand.

"I'm so sorry we were late in finding you, Winnie," Jesse said, his voice cracking.

Her eyes found his. "I'm happy you found me at all."

"It was James that found you," he admitted. "I was looking, but..."

"Thank you, James," she said, turning to him. The look in his eyes made everyone blush, but it made Winnie smile for the first time in a week.

"But," and she looked back at Jesse with a heartfelt expression. "Thank you, too, Jesse. All of you. I'm very lucky to have such good friends. I'll write to you when I leave."

A chorus of "What?"s rang forth. But Winnie remained resolute despite all their pleading to at least stay another month.

"We need to leave anyway," she reasoned. "It will be a good time if we all go our separate ways now. Maybe someday...I can visit you?"

"Oh, of course, dear! And we'll visit you!" Mae gave her the motherly hug she had been craving to distribute, and this time Winnie took it gratefully.

"And Winnie," Mae whispered in her ear, "please know you always have a family."

Winnie leaned her head on Mae's shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Where will you go?" asked Tuck, ever the rational one, even emotional moments.

"Europe. I've always wanted to see it, and I have enough money from doing various entreprenaurial jobs over the years. I used to sew some dresses for ladies a few towns over, did I tell you that? Plus, of course, there's the fortune I inherited when my parents passed away."

The Tucks and Natasha decided that the last thing she needed was to feel guilty or sad, and so they immediatley began bombarding her with recommendations of different places to stay in different cities. They told her of different sites, which places to avoid, etc. The only one who did not speak was James, who sat by her side, eyeing her carefully.

After a few minutes of this, he finally said, "Excuse me, but could all of you leave the two of us alone for a moment?"

Jesse looked up at him sharply, but James met his gaze evenly and undauntedly. After a minute, Jesse decided to agree, seeing that he would have no other choice without looking like a possessive fool. Furthermore, Natasha and the others were waiting for his decision.

"Fine," he said, and the others followed him out quietly, Natasha looking up at him gravely.

Once the others were gone, Winnie looked at James with a curious expression. "What was that all about?"

"May I travel with you?" he blurted out.

She blinked, then turned pink. "W-what?"

"Winnie, I know you're scared, now more than ever, about going out into the world, especially after all you've been through. I'd like to be there for you. If we're going to be two lone wolves," and here he grinned a bit, "we might as well be together, right? Two is better than one, right?"

"Oh, James, that's very sweet of you, but I couldn't ask you to do that for me! I need to...I need to learn how to be more self-relient. I don't want to bother you."

"No, you don't understand." He looked extremely embarrassed, which was a novelty for him, Winnie thought. "I...want to go with you. Because I think I care about you."

There was a pause.

"I think," he emphasized quickly. "I won't try anything. I'll only be a friend. I know your heart only belongs to Jesse. But maybe someday?"

She stared at him hard. He seemed sincere. He was a good man, and she knew he would protect her. And someday, when she was ready to stand on her own, he would understand.

And perhaps she would fall in love with him. Stranger things had happened, that was certain.

"I don't want to toy with you," she whispered. "Would you truly be fine with us just being friends?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

He was in earnest.

She bit her lip. "I...Well, I'll take you up on your offer. But only as friends." _For now_, she added mentally.

He took her hand gently, lightly brushing one of the last remaining scars. "Thank you."

She did not withdrawl her hand, or even feel as if she was betraying Jesse, as she might have felt not long ago. In fact, she was surprised to learn within herself that Jesse had nothing to do with this at all. He had made his choice. She wasn't even doing anything shameful. She was not going to go and claim James's heart with a heart not completelly fully devoted, as she sometimes suspected happened to Jesse in regards with Natasha. Even though he had not cared for her as much as the others during her recovery, and he talked to her much less than he used to, his eyes were always on her, and she was starting to suspect that it was not her own narcissism that gave her the idea that perhaps he cared about her romantically a little.

Under normal circumstances, she would be weeping with joy.

This was not a normal circumstance.

He had forgotten her and found someone else, and now he was starting to realize he had feelings for her as well?

She would not accept that. For her, things could only be all or nothing. Otherwise, it was just too painful.

When James left, she told him to tell everyone that she was going to try and get some sleep. And she did, but only after she awarded herself the final time she would cry over that sick reverend and Jesse.

**FOSTER EVERLASTING**

And it was just as two weeks passed since the incident in the church that Winnie and James arrived at the train station, saying their goodbyes to everyone. The Tucks would be leaving Treegap later that day.

"What's that?" Miles inquired, glancing at a piece of paper in Winnie's hand.

She softly replied, "It's Marion's address. We stopped by to speak with her before we left. She's doing better now that she knows her husband's murderer is dead. She told me to write her often. She even cracked a joke!"

"That's right," James chuckled. "She said that one couldn't trust a man to write faithfully, and told Winnie to keep me in line."

"She sounds like a nice lady," Jesse commented a bit blandly.

Winnie glanced away and nodded.

A sniffling sound caught her attention. Mae was already sobbing into a handkerchief. "Boys, don't you dare make fun of me," she whimpered, quickly kissing Winnie on both cheeks. "I thought I was done being so sentimental over farewells, but...Oh, take care of yourself, dear! Keep in touch. I think there is something to be said about Marion's comment; these two start off writing once a week but soon it trickles off to only once a month at best."

"I promise, I'll send you letters as often as possible," Winnie swore, getting sentimental as well. "Oh, dear! Look, you've started me up, too! Miles, Tuck, thank you very much for everything. Take care."

To her surprise, both of them took their time embracing her. Tuck only seemed slightly embarrassed, and that was when Winnie Foster realized, even if she wasn't the one romantically involved with Jesse and bearing a ring on her finger, she was still a Tuck. This fact lightened her heart, and her smile became truly brilliant, albeit watery.

Natasha was up next. The two stared at each other with apologetic, respectful, and then friendly looks in their eyes before hugging each other tightly.

"Isn't this the part where you say, 'Be good to him?'" Natasha asked softly in a half-guilty voice.

"No. I know you will. This is the part where I say, 'Make sure he's good to you.'" Winnie pulled back to smirk, and they laughed happily at not-so-poor Jesse's expense.

"Hey! It's my turn for the hugging, thank you," Jesse cried, fake-glaring at Natasha.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine. You asked for it!" He swept Natasha off her feet quite literally, much to her surprise and amusement, and set her a few feet away from Winnie, both of them laughing.

But as he approached Winnie, his giddy grin faded to something of a more solemn nature. "We're putting off the wedding until I'm completely over you. I'll treat her well. I'll love her as she deserves to be."

"You'd better." She was smiling too.

They shook hands, but stopped in mid-shake. They then rushed into each other's arms, having this one last meaningful embrace.

"I hope you'll be happy, Winnie, especially after all the misery I've put you through," he whispered in her ear.

To answer the question he did not dare ask, she said, "I will, and I forgive you."

They kissed each other on the cheek, and thought it was the most magical thing they had ever felt, even more so than the taste of the now-destroyed spring.

When they pulled away, they both had wet cheeks.

"Why, Jesse Tuck, you're crying!" she said teasingly, although her laugh still sounded a bit like a sob.

"Am not! My eye just has a disorder."

"Apparently, you inherited it from your mother," she replied a bit dryly, pointing at a weeping Mae with an amused look in her eye.

James then said his farewells to everyone, which was naturally a far shorter affair than Winnie's. Jesse and James shook hands on amiable terms, telling each other to treat their loved ones well, and then James and Winnie boarded their train of destiny.

"The strange thing about this life is that you know there will never really be a farewell," Winnie mused aloud as she dabbed her eyes once they were seated. "Of course, with the normal people, that's true, but not with the Tucks. We will always meet again."

James agreed. "How are you feeling?" he then asked.

She saw the concerned look in his eyes, and finished dabbing her eyes in order to say with a genuine grin, "Ready to start my life. One that involves, but doesn't revolve around you or the Tucks. Mine."

And as she said these words, the train's whistle wailed and they suddenly lurched forward. She turned back towards the window to wave goodbye.


	21. Alternate Ending

**Prettyinpinkgal: Now for the real final installment****. Woo-hoo! I'm fairly certain you guys are going to appreciate this one more, considering this one is WinniexJesse. It's funny; looking back, I wrote in the disclaimer in one of the early chapters"If I owned Tuck Everlasting, I would have Winnie and Jesse end up together!" but this story did not end up being a JessexWinnie story. Too much happened between them that resulted in Winnie's subtle distrust in Jesse, and he would not have easily swung from one girl to the next, for he truly does love Natasha, although perhaps not as much as he presently loves Winnie. I've learned to appreciate the beauty of the bittersweet, although I still adore happy endings. I wouldn't call the official ending of "Foster" a sad one, though. It's full of promise. Jesse and Winnie will both be happy in the end. But for those of you who don't prefer it, here's this one (which is admittedly much more sloppily done). Reviews make my day, so please drop a line as to how you enjoyed either ending, and how you enjoyed the story overall!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Tuck Everlasting". One line from the movie is used.**

**FOSTER EVERLASTING  
**

**ALTERNATIVE ENDING**

While James and Winnie held their secret conference, Jesse fairly glared at his cup of coffee, as if trying to accuse it of some wrongdoing, or, more likely, trying to find an answer in its murky contents.

"Jesse. Let's call of the wedding."

This comment did not come mystically from his drink, but from his fiancee.

He slowly turned to her and realized that they were the only two in the room. Either the others had things they needed to take care of, or...they knew this was coming.

"I know you're trying to keep your distance from Winnie," she said, her voice steady despite the glittering droplets in her eyes. "I don't know if it's for your sake or hers or mine, but I can see it killing you. Jesse, I...I'm used to being alone. Winnie's so fragile right now. Maybe it's best if you two stay together."

"Tasha," he murmured, unable to say much else. What could he say, anyway? "Phew, thanks!" and "That's not true!" would be cruel and a lie, respectively.

As seemed to be the new norm for him, he could say nothing. And he loathed himself for it.

"Just hurry up and decide. I don't want to be strung around, and neither does Winnie. I know you're not intentionally trying to hurt us, so I don't loathe you for this. But just be honest with yourself, Jesse Tuck. Decide once and for all. Unless your decision is to come back to me, the wedding is cancelled."

Natasha finished her speech with nary a deceitful shake in the lip or zealous blinking of the eye. She strode out of the room like a queen. But as soon as she was sure Jesse, nor any other soul, could see her, she sank down and covered her face with her hands.

Jesse sat numbly in his seat. He supposed he was a free man now. That was good, if he wanted to pursue Winnie, but...

But Natasha still had a piece of his heart.

"I'm so stuuuuupiiiiid," he groaned, thumping his head onto the table.

"What're you doing?"

His head whipped up and he barked, "I really don't need your sarcastic commentary right now, James!"

"Touchy," he replied, with one brow raised. But he was grinning deeply, which made Jesse even more on edge.

"What happened between you and Winnie?" he choked out.

His grin deepened alarmingly. "She's letting me tag along."

Jesse's heart cracked. "Oh, well, congratulations. I hope you two are very happy together."

Jesse's giddy smile faded. "All right. What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, I'm peachy, thanks."

"Apparently not, if you're going to rub it in everyone's faces like this."

Jesse took a large gulp of his coffee like it was brandy, then slammed it down. "Well, Natasha canceled our wedding, for starters."

James's eyes widened. "Really."

The lack of shock or compassion in his voice ground Jesse's gears. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I can't believe she was such a selfless person as to let you go like that. And it means I'm a little surprised she didn't do it earlier," he answered bluntly.

Within seconds, Jesse's hand was around Jesse's collar. "Really, so just because you won Winnie doesn't mean you need to be so cocky! You feel you can gloat now? I have nothing now!"

James's punch felt as if it had broken Jesse's nose. The latter stared at the gushing blood, while the former delivered another blow to his stomach.

As Jesse tried to catch his breath, James shouted, "You b-! Do you realize how long I've been holding that in? Winnie told me everything right before we met the first time. Ever since, I wanted to kill you-do whatever it takes to kill you-to punish you for what you did to her. Do you realize how much she suffered! Now that Natasha was angelically generous and gave you the option to choose, but Winnie agreed to go to Europe with me, you think 'woe is me'? Are you joking? You have _everything, _Jesse Tuck! You have a family, a friend, _had _a fiancee and a childhood friend yearning after your heart, and you have the nerve to be so selfish that you can't let anyone else partake in a happiness that might narrow down yours? The thing is, Jesse...Who would you have picked, now that you had your freedom?"

Jesse gaped at him. "I-I hadn't decided yet-"

He was ashamed at how horrible he sounded.

"Let me tell you something, Jesse." James's voice was as cold as a winter in Siberia. "I saw your face when I walked in here. It wasn't the face of a man who had lost his fiancee. It was the face of a man angry at himself and upset over the loss and hurt of a friend. You love Natasha, but not romantically. The question is, do you love Winnie? Because I'm starting to, and once I'm completely devoted to her, I'll never stop. And Winnie doesn't need to be thrown through another loop if she doesn't need to be. Consider this a friendly warning. I'm heading over to see Marion."

The door slammed behind James, and gentle footsteps made Jesse cry, "For heaven's sake, what now?"

It was Winnie, who looked smaller than usual from her lack of appetite over the week and her sinking into herself at his harsh words, which he immediately regreted.

"I'm sorry. It's just a stressful day," he said, looking carefully to make sure he hadn't disturbed her.

He hadn't looked that hard at Natasha when she was calling off the engagement.

"I heard," Winnie confessed, almost shyly.

Jesse flushed deeply. "Uh, do you want some coffee? Are you sure you're fine with standing up?" he suddenly demanded, seeing her stumble for a moment.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired, and I'm not really used to walking." Her flash of a smile was painful at best, and he winced.

He gentlemanly pulled out a chair for her, and she sat while he ran and got that cup of coffee for her.

"I'm not seeing James."

His hand stopped before he reached for the cup.

"I told him I only wanted to be friends. For now, at least. We don't know what the future will bring, right?"

"...Guess not."

"So don't let some bout of jealousy sway your decision. See Natasha and me as people, not possessions."

He sighed heavily, feeling the truth of her words. "Everyone seems to know my mind better than I do."

"It's because you've been basically a child for a hundred years, and the rest of us are a little bit more experienced in the ways of adulthood."

"You've been seventeen for a while, yourself," he retorted.

"I was ladylike when I was ten," she shot back smilingly. "I'm quite mature, thank you."

"Yeah. You are. That's one of the things I really respect about you."

Their eyes locked.

"Sorry I wasn't the one who rescued you," he said quietly. "And who messed up your life."

"Sorry I can't get over you," she replied softly. "And who messed up your future marriage maybe."

"It wasn't your fault. That was all me."

Winnie's gaze faltered. "Don't give your answer until the day I leave, all right? Take your time and decide. Never mind about the coffee. I'd better go get some rest."

"Do you need help?" he asked, rushing to her side. He ignored her protests and helped her up the steps, even tucking her in. "Do you need an extra blanket or anything? A new pillow, maybe?"

"Jesse, stop it," she said with surprising sternness. "I don't want to get my hopes up, and I don't want you tricking yourself into thinking you like me better. Treat me normally for the next week. If you do choose me, there's no need to rush. We'll have eternity. Now good night and get out of here," she snapped, abruptly turning on her side away from him.

* * *

Winnie said goodbye to everyone with a heavy but cheerful heart. The only member of her acquaintance missing was Natasha, who said goodbye the day before. She claimed she was feeling restless and wanted to see more of the world, but Winnie knew she was hurting deeply.

But despite the feeling of guilt she carried inside her, she still anxiously awaited Jesse's decision.

Yet all he did was shake her hand and give her a quick hug and tell her to have a nice trip.

She sat now with James, him going on about how London was a remarkable city and how she would adore seeing Westminster Abbey. She appreciated his company, but her mind was elsewhere.

And she realized now that she would never be able to see James as anything more than a good friend.

Her heart filled with misery as great as when she learned her parents were dead, for she knew now that she would always be Winnie Foster and never Winnie Tuck.

She hid the tears from James's view by looking out the window. It was in this motion that she noticed Jesse was not present.

Her heart disappeared. He hadn't even bothered to watch the train depart. That was how little he meant to her.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand.

She was dragged off the train, although she was too dazed to really try and fight.

"You can't go with him," her captor said unreasonably and pleadingly. "We promised to travel the world together, the two of us."

Jesse had made his choice.

She burst into tears and launched herself into his arms and he spun her round and round and round, holding her tightly and whispering sweet everythings into her ear.

"Winnie Foster, I'll love you till the day I die," he whispered into her ear, and they both laughed joyfully and lovingly.

But James...

The train was departing. Winnie looked quickly at the window she had been on the other side of just minutes before. James was waving contentedly, although of course not too happily. Upon her waving back with vigor, though, he seemed to be more satisfied with the situation.

Jesse caught her attention again as the train drove past, this time to greet her with a warm kiss thirty years overdue.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Yes, I completely lost motivation on this last piece. And I had a long day today, which means my 1 AM writing is worse than usual. Hopefully it made the WinniexJesse shippers in you happy, though. :) I must say I much prefer the first ending, both for technical reasons and romantic ones, but I'm glad these two had a chance to be together in an alternate ending to this story. Now, off to work on my original novel! Ciao!**


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